So, here it is... My last day in Northeim. I've been sitting here looking at my pictures and old blogs I've written. And while all the evidence of an amazing year is right in front of me, I can hardly believe that it is over already. It went by way too quickly. There are so many things here that I am sad to leave, but I know I'll be coming back some day. At the very least, to visit my host family again. I set Maren up with Skype, so we'll be able to keep in contact... It'll be very strange to watch the children get older through the computer (especially little Miri!), but it is better than nothing, I suppose!
I have had such an amazing time not only with my host family, but with everyone across Germany I got to know during my stay. The friends I already had, the friends I made along the way, and especially my hiking group! I will miss everybody so much! I hate saying goodbye, so I'm not going to... I know we'll all be seeing each other again some day.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Can't wait to get on the road again...
So, we're back home from the 4 week vacation! I don't think it was long enough ;)
We started off in the early morning of June 27th. Claudia and Marit, who had been with us for the skiing vacation in winter, came this time as well, but only for the first week. Claudia's husband, Roy, had to stay in Northeim for work, so it was just a bunch of girls and Marten! We signed all the kids up for this Island Circus, where they would learn circusy things like tight-rope walking, riding a unicycle, juggling, and so on, in the mornings. Claudia and I took rode our bikes with the kids there, dropped them off, did some shopping or sight-seeing, and then picked them up again at 1pm when the lessons were over. We'd then make something small for lunch (usually preparing some sandwiches and wrapping them in aluminum foil), get all our beach stuff together, and spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Normally, our "big meals" are at lunchtime, but we switched things up a bit and made dinner our warm meal, because we were always very hungry after coming back from the beach. Maren stayed home most of the time with Miriam, but when she decided to come out with us, we would rotate baby duty, kid duty, and sunbathing duty. I preferred sunbathing duty over the other two :P
Michael came up for the weekend after Claudia and Marit left, but then he went back to Northeim again to work. He and Philipp (his oldest son) drove up together on July 16th, and then stayed for the rest of the vacation. Merit continued to partake in the Circus for the entire 4 weeks, but Marten had had enough of it by the 3rd week. So our last week there, he stayed home with us in the mornings. He and Merit both got to pick out a new sport that they wanted to try, and then we alternated between going to the beach and going to the sport lessons in the afternoons. Marten did "mini motocross"... He looked really adorable on those little motorcycles. Merit, who had been asking forever to do this, finally got to try out horseback riding. She loved it a lot, and now wants to continue doing it here in Northeim, as well.
The weekend after Philipp and Michael's arrival, I took a train down to visit one of "our Germans", Kristian. Since the last time I had seen him, he got married and had a son named Tizian. Tizi had just turned two in June, but since his parents are both giants, he's already the size of a four year old. It was a really great, relaxing weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know Tizi, who is just as goofy as his father. Kris and Meike got matching tattoos to celebrate the birth of their son; a cursive "T" that Kris has on the back of his upper arm, and on Meike it takes up her inner wrist.
One day, right in the middle of our vacation, it rained so horribly that we were basically under house-arrest from the moment we woke up to the time we went to sleep. It was just me and Maren at the time, and of course it was a weekend, so the kids didn't have the relief of getting out of the house for circus training in the morning. Around 4 in the afternoon, the clouds lightened up and the sun slowly began to peak out from its hiding spot. Overcome with the idea of breaking out of our prison, Maren and I threw shoes and jackets on the kids to go for a little walk down the boardwalk for some ice cream. As soon as we turned the corner off of our street, we looked up at the sky and gave each other looks of dismay. The calm that we were experiencing was only the "eye of the storm", and we both knew it. The color of the sky was exactly that which I had seen growing up on the East Coast; a threatening green. The clouds were still a slight distance away, and we had promised the kids ice cream, so we picked up the pace and trotted to the cafe. They, too, recognized the looming storm and a hectic feeling filled the ice cream stand as the workers simultaneously filled our orders and closed up shop. Maren, waiting outside with Miri in the stroller, had a look of panic on her face when I came back out. The winds had picked up drastically, and the clouds were now storming down on us, pun intended :P "We have to hurry!", she shouted, as I handed out the ice cream and put on my coat. We walked as fast as we could, but it wasn't fast enough. As soon as we got to the main road, the skies opened up. It poured down harder than it had before, and with a startled scream, Maren started jogging ahead with the unprotected stroller. I opened up the umbrella, bundled Merit and Marten underneath, and walked outside the umbrella's protection. Because of how panicked Maren looked, the kids started worrying about what was going on, so I slowed down my pace to help calm them. Maren turned around once she was about 20 meters ahead of us to see how we were doing. She and I made eye contact, and we both just lost it. She threw her hands in the air as if to say "I give up" and waited for us to catch up with her. We then all walked at a leisurely pace, and after they finished their ice cream, Merit and Marten ran around in the thundering storm instead staying huddled under the umbrella. We jumped into puddles, danced, and sang the rest of the way home. We then stripped down into our underwear as soon as we reached the front door, wrapped the kids in their bathrobes, and then went to change our clothes. I came into the living room in my PJs, to find Maren already in hers and attempting to hang out wet clothes up to dry. I noticed her shirt was already wet, mentioned it to her, and she said "Yeah, I know. Its because of my bra... I washed my other one yesterday and hung the laundry outside on the clothesline, to dry." We both started laughing all over again at the irony.
We started off in the early morning of June 27th. Claudia and Marit, who had been with us for the skiing vacation in winter, came this time as well, but only for the first week. Claudia's husband, Roy, had to stay in Northeim for work, so it was just a bunch of girls and Marten! We signed all the kids up for this Island Circus, where they would learn circusy things like tight-rope walking, riding a unicycle, juggling, and so on, in the mornings. Claudia and I took rode our bikes with the kids there, dropped them off, did some shopping or sight-seeing, and then picked them up again at 1pm when the lessons were over. We'd then make something small for lunch (usually preparing some sandwiches and wrapping them in aluminum foil), get all our beach stuff together, and spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Normally, our "big meals" are at lunchtime, but we switched things up a bit and made dinner our warm meal, because we were always very hungry after coming back from the beach. Maren stayed home most of the time with Miriam, but when she decided to come out with us, we would rotate baby duty, kid duty, and sunbathing duty. I preferred sunbathing duty over the other two :P
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| Their vacation home, with Marten out front |
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| Marten and Merit at the beach during low tide |
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| Marit and Marten playing in the water |
Michael came up for the weekend after Claudia and Marit left, but then he went back to Northeim again to work. He and Philipp (his oldest son) drove up together on July 16th, and then stayed for the rest of the vacation. Merit continued to partake in the Circus for the entire 4 weeks, but Marten had had enough of it by the 3rd week. So our last week there, he stayed home with us in the mornings. He and Merit both got to pick out a new sport that they wanted to try, and then we alternated between going to the beach and going to the sport lessons in the afternoons. Marten did "mini motocross"... He looked really adorable on those little motorcycles. Merit, who had been asking forever to do this, finally got to try out horseback riding. She loved it a lot, and now wants to continue doing it here in Northeim, as well.
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| Marten on the motorbike |
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| Merit prepping for horseback riding |
The weekend after Philipp and Michael's arrival, I took a train down to visit one of "our Germans", Kristian. Since the last time I had seen him, he got married and had a son named Tizian. Tizi had just turned two in June, but since his parents are both giants, he's already the size of a four year old. It was a really great, relaxing weekend. I really enjoyed getting to know Tizi, who is just as goofy as his father. Kris and Meike got matching tattoos to celebrate the birth of their son; a cursive "T" that Kris has on the back of his upper arm, and on Meike it takes up her inner wrist.
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| Kris with Tizian on his shoulders |
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| Sharing a piece of banana bread, because friends share! :) |
One day, right in the middle of our vacation, it rained so horribly that we were basically under house-arrest from the moment we woke up to the time we went to sleep. It was just me and Maren at the time, and of course it was a weekend, so the kids didn't have the relief of getting out of the house for circus training in the morning. Around 4 in the afternoon, the clouds lightened up and the sun slowly began to peak out from its hiding spot. Overcome with the idea of breaking out of our prison, Maren and I threw shoes and jackets on the kids to go for a little walk down the boardwalk for some ice cream. As soon as we turned the corner off of our street, we looked up at the sky and gave each other looks of dismay. The calm that we were experiencing was only the "eye of the storm", and we both knew it. The color of the sky was exactly that which I had seen growing up on the East Coast; a threatening green. The clouds were still a slight distance away, and we had promised the kids ice cream, so we picked up the pace and trotted to the cafe. They, too, recognized the looming storm and a hectic feeling filled the ice cream stand as the workers simultaneously filled our orders and closed up shop. Maren, waiting outside with Miri in the stroller, had a look of panic on her face when I came back out. The winds had picked up drastically, and the clouds were now storming down on us, pun intended :P "We have to hurry!", she shouted, as I handed out the ice cream and put on my coat. We walked as fast as we could, but it wasn't fast enough. As soon as we got to the main road, the skies opened up. It poured down harder than it had before, and with a startled scream, Maren started jogging ahead with the unprotected stroller. I opened up the umbrella, bundled Merit and Marten underneath, and walked outside the umbrella's protection. Because of how panicked Maren looked, the kids started worrying about what was going on, so I slowed down my pace to help calm them. Maren turned around once she was about 20 meters ahead of us to see how we were doing. She and I made eye contact, and we both just lost it. She threw her hands in the air as if to say "I give up" and waited for us to catch up with her. We then all walked at a leisurely pace, and after they finished their ice cream, Merit and Marten ran around in the thundering storm instead staying huddled under the umbrella. We jumped into puddles, danced, and sang the rest of the way home. We then stripped down into our underwear as soon as we reached the front door, wrapped the kids in their bathrobes, and then went to change our clothes. I came into the living room in my PJs, to find Maren already in hers and attempting to hang out wet clothes up to dry. I noticed her shirt was already wet, mentioned it to her, and she said "Yeah, I know. Its because of my bra... I washed my other one yesterday and hung the laundry outside on the clothesline, to dry." We both started laughing all over again at the irony.
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| A beautiful sunset; the result of the terrible storm |
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
My friends say I should act my age... What's my age again?
Thanks to Blink 182 for the title of the blog :P
Today is my 24th birthday! Woo! We're still vacationing on Sylt, but I promise as soon as we're back I'll write an extended blog about everything that has been going on. I just wanted to stop in real quick to talk about my birthday :)
I woke up this morning and Maren and Merit were already up. Merit presented me with a hand-made note and a glass whale that she had picked out from a local art store. At the same store, I had been oogling a scarf that was baby blue silk with black lace hand stitched on it. Little did I know, that Maren went back a couple of days later for my birthday present. I don't remember how much it costs, but it was definitely over €75. It is from a designer out of Paris... Very classy! Marten gave me a kiss for my birthday after he woke up, and then we all spent a couple of hours at the beach. Now we're back home and getting ready to go out for a celebratory dinner!
I hope everyone is doing well, and know that, even though I can't celebrate with you all, I'm still having a great birthday!
Love,
Brittany
Today is my 24th birthday! Woo! We're still vacationing on Sylt, but I promise as soon as we're back I'll write an extended blog about everything that has been going on. I just wanted to stop in real quick to talk about my birthday :)
I woke up this morning and Maren and Merit were already up. Merit presented me with a hand-made note and a glass whale that she had picked out from a local art store. At the same store, I had been oogling a scarf that was baby blue silk with black lace hand stitched on it. Little did I know, that Maren went back a couple of days later for my birthday present. I don't remember how much it costs, but it was definitely over €75. It is from a designer out of Paris... Very classy! Marten gave me a kiss for my birthday after he woke up, and then we all spent a couple of hours at the beach. Now we're back home and getting ready to go out for a celebratory dinner!
I hope everyone is doing well, and know that, even though I can't celebrate with you all, I'm still having a great birthday!
Love,
Brittany
Friday, June 18, 2010
'54, '74, '90, 2006; Ja so stimmen wir alle ein! Mit dem Herz in der Hand und der Leidenschaft im Bein, werden wir Weltmeister sein!
The title of this blog comes from a very popular song about the World Cup... I've heard it so many times it isn't funny... And not just because the World Cup just began. The radio stations play it at least once a day during soccer season here, and it is played at every soccer game. Especially if it is a game that we have won! :) It translates to: '54, '74, '90, 2006 (in 1954, 1974, and 1990, Germany won the World Cup. The song was made in preparations for the 2006 championship, with the hopes that they would win once again); "Yes, we all join in! With heart in hand, and passion in the leg, we'll be the 'World Champions'!" Weltmeister (or World Champion) is what they call the winner of the World Cup. And the entire tournament is called the Weltmeisterschaft (World Championship).
As you all (hopefully) know, the World Cup started on June 11th. So far, I've only missed two games... And only fallen asleep during one! :) Honestly, though, there really is nothing better than a World Cup Nap. The lulling sounds of blow-horns are oddly soothing for me. Maybe because I'm a World Cup Baby :) In the beginning, I was not at all impressed by the competition. Most every team seemed sloppy to me, and I even described the Grecian team as looking like soccer retirees attempting to play against a fresh team. But enough of the shop talk... If you're following the games, you don't need me to update you. And if you aren't following them, it is obviously for a reason :) ... Although, please let me know if you are not watching the World Cup, so I can delete you from my address book.
Yesterday was my mommy's 50th birthday! Yes, 50!! Can you believe it?! Kristina and I sent her some flowers to her office to celebrate with her, since we can't be there in person. Unfortunately, our adventures abroad are poorly lined up, celebration-wise. Joey turned 16 earlier this month, Mom just turned 50, Dad will be turning 50 in September, and PopPops will be celebrating his 80th birthday in October. (October, right?) Tess officially moved away from the teen years with her 20th birthday in April, and Mommy graduated with her Masters of Science just last week. My cousin Megan and my bestie Ashley are both getting married, a close friend of mine bought his first house, and on top of all that I'm missing out on everyone else's birthdays and personal accomplishments. I've got to be honest, sometimes it is hard watching all of this go by... Knowing that if I had stayed, I could be a part of all these essential moments in my family's and friend's lives. But what I am doing here is giving me a lot of amazing experience; both in what it is like to run a household, and in opportunities to travel and do things I normally would not have been able to do. Life is give and take, after all. And while I'm here, I'm taking all that I can!! Which unfortunately means a lot of giving up, as well.
The baby is doing wonderfully. If she is awake during the day, she is almost always calm and peaceful. She only cries when she's pushing one out (if you know what I mean), or dying of hunger. We have her on a pretty normal schedule, so she has been sleeping consistently through the night. Maren puts her to bed between 11 and 12, and she doesn't wake up until 5 or 6, sometimes even 7 in the morning. (I just realized... I have blogged since the baby was born, right? I know I wrote a little note on FaceBook about it... I'm sure I've told all of you guys about it, too... Well, if I didn't, her name is Miriam and she was born on May 24th!) Until this week, I had never seen Michael (the father) hold her. But Maren is finally forcing him to take part, as well, and in the last couple of days he has been officially a part of the Taking Care of Baby Shift. I know he hates it, but he's the dad! He's supposed to take care of the baby! One time, he made a joke when Miriam was crying about how I should do something about it, and I almost said "hey buddy, I didn't get to partake in any of the fun, I'm most certainly not going to take over all the responsibility!" but decide that 1) that would be fairly rude, though funny... and 2) it might have been construed as flirting... And I like to stay far away from anything of that sort. Creepy.
We leave in one week for our vacation, and I'm not sure if I will have much internet availability there... So just a head's up, I might disappear until August. But I'll do my best to hack into the neighbor's internet account, so I don't have to leave you all high and dry :)
Other than World Cup and Baby, I don't have much to update on... I hope everyone is happy and healthy on this gorgeous summer day!! Any exciting summer vacations planned? I know most of the Karmans will be spending their vacation days at Meg's wedding in two weeks... I'm so excited for you all!! Have an amazing time!
As you all (hopefully) know, the World Cup started on June 11th. So far, I've only missed two games... And only fallen asleep during one! :) Honestly, though, there really is nothing better than a World Cup Nap. The lulling sounds of blow-horns are oddly soothing for me. Maybe because I'm a World Cup Baby :) In the beginning, I was not at all impressed by the competition. Most every team seemed sloppy to me, and I even described the Grecian team as looking like soccer retirees attempting to play against a fresh team. But enough of the shop talk... If you're following the games, you don't need me to update you. And if you aren't following them, it is obviously for a reason :) ... Although, please let me know if you are not watching the World Cup, so I can delete you from my address book.
Yesterday was my mommy's 50th birthday! Yes, 50!! Can you believe it?! Kristina and I sent her some flowers to her office to celebrate with her, since we can't be there in person. Unfortunately, our adventures abroad are poorly lined up, celebration-wise. Joey turned 16 earlier this month, Mom just turned 50, Dad will be turning 50 in September, and PopPops will be celebrating his 80th birthday in October. (October, right?) Tess officially moved away from the teen years with her 20th birthday in April, and Mommy graduated with her Masters of Science just last week. My cousin Megan and my bestie Ashley are both getting married, a close friend of mine bought his first house, and on top of all that I'm missing out on everyone else's birthdays and personal accomplishments. I've got to be honest, sometimes it is hard watching all of this go by... Knowing that if I had stayed, I could be a part of all these essential moments in my family's and friend's lives. But what I am doing here is giving me a lot of amazing experience; both in what it is like to run a household, and in opportunities to travel and do things I normally would not have been able to do. Life is give and take, after all. And while I'm here, I'm taking all that I can!! Which unfortunately means a lot of giving up, as well.
The baby is doing wonderfully. If she is awake during the day, she is almost always calm and peaceful. She only cries when she's pushing one out (if you know what I mean), or dying of hunger. We have her on a pretty normal schedule, so she has been sleeping consistently through the night. Maren puts her to bed between 11 and 12, and she doesn't wake up until 5 or 6, sometimes even 7 in the morning. (I just realized... I have blogged since the baby was born, right? I know I wrote a little note on FaceBook about it... I'm sure I've told all of you guys about it, too... Well, if I didn't, her name is Miriam and she was born on May 24th!) Until this week, I had never seen Michael (the father) hold her. But Maren is finally forcing him to take part, as well, and in the last couple of days he has been officially a part of the Taking Care of Baby Shift. I know he hates it, but he's the dad! He's supposed to take care of the baby! One time, he made a joke when Miriam was crying about how I should do something about it, and I almost said "hey buddy, I didn't get to partake in any of the fun, I'm most certainly not going to take over all the responsibility!" but decide that 1) that would be fairly rude, though funny... and 2) it might have been construed as flirting... And I like to stay far away from anything of that sort. Creepy.
We leave in one week for our vacation, and I'm not sure if I will have much internet availability there... So just a head's up, I might disappear until August. But I'll do my best to hack into the neighbor's internet account, so I don't have to leave you all high and dry :)
Other than World Cup and Baby, I don't have much to update on... I hope everyone is happy and healthy on this gorgeous summer day!! Any exciting summer vacations planned? I know most of the Karmans will be spending their vacation days at Meg's wedding in two weeks... I'm so excited for you all!! Have an amazing time!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
With no words at all, so tiny and small...
Last weekend was a holiday in Germany (something to do with religion), so everyone had Sunday and Monday off of work. We decided on Sunday to barbeque with some of our neighbors, but had so much food left over that Maren suggested we should do it again the next day. We all agreed, opened up another bottle of Champagne, and made a menu for tomorrow's barbeque.
The next morning, I heard Michael and Maren in the kitchen at 5 in the morning, and then someone left the house. They weren't having an argument by the sounds of their voices, so I just assumed they were going out to get some fresh breakfast rolls from the bakery before it closed up again for the holiday, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. At 8 I woke up and went upstairs to find the kids watching TV in the living room and the breakfast table not set. That was kind of weird, because Maren had clearly been awake for hours and the first thing she does in the mornings is set the table, but I went ahead and set everything out for us and then went to go sit with the kids in the living room. After about half an hour, I hadn't seen either Michael or Maren, so I asked Merit where her parents were. Merit said that her mom was in the hospital, but her dad was upstairs sleeping. My goodness, did I feel like the biggest idiot, for not realizing that that was the reason Maren was awake at 5 am. Apparently her water broke around 4am, but she had enough time to shower and finish up packing her emergency bag before leaving for the hospital. Michael stripped her bed, carried her mattress out to the trash, and dropped her off, but came back so he could sleep a little bit longer. He came down for breakfast at 9, and I asked him if he should go alone or if we should all go in together, and he said we should all go together, but suggested driving separately so I could leave with the kids whenever they started getting bored.
So I got the kids and myself ready, we got to the hospital around 10:30 am, and had to wait for awhile before going in to see Maren. Merit and Marten were the first ones in the room, and you could immediately see the concern on the kids faces when they saw their mom. She was breathing heavily, the way you're supposed to, and hooked up to all these machines that measure not only her vitals, but that baby's as well. Marten asked if she was going to die, and Maren laughed and told him that everything was fine and she would be better than ever in a couple of days. The baby's heart rate increased drastically once we arrived, so Maren said we should only stay for a couple of minutes before heading out again. (The kids kept complaining and arguing, so it was only adding stress for her.) So I took the reluctant kids back home, promising them that their mom was going to be ok. Once we got home, I settled down with my book while the kids jumped off the trampoline, and not a half hour later I got a text message from Michael saying that the baby had just been born. Her name is Miriam, and she weighed 3,040 grams upon arrival and was 49 centimeters long. (aka- adorably tiny!!)
Later that day, Maren's parents came over to visit with their daughter and granddaughter, and to take Marten to stay with them for a couple of days. Maren stayed in the hospital until Thursday, but we kept our barbecue date that evening with the neighbors. Everyone joked about how rude it was of Maren to not attend.
Today is Sunday, so they've only been here for 3 days, but it already feels totally natural to have a baby in the house. She's very calm and quiet most of the time, and only starts to whine when she's hungry or has gas. She usually sleeps between 3 and 5 hours at a time, (Maren puts her to bed around 11:30 and usually has to wake her up between 4 and 5 for her next feeding!) and is given lots of love and attention by her big sister, Merit. Marten still hasn't come home yet, so I'm sure the dynamic will change once he is back. He demands a lot of attention himself, since until now he has always been the baby in the family and is used to having at least one adult give it to him. In fact, any time his mom is having a conversation with someone else, he starts saying "Mama!" louder and louder until she actually turns away from the other person and listens to him. So this should be interesting... But I think he'll learn pretty quickly that he can't yell anymore and can't always have attention. Hopefully, anyway :P
(During a Skype session with Tess, Miriam started to cry a lot, so this is me attempting to calm her down. I've decided that Miriam doesn't like her Aunt Tessie very much, because now every time she sees Tess she starts crying...)
The next morning, I heard Michael and Maren in the kitchen at 5 in the morning, and then someone left the house. They weren't having an argument by the sounds of their voices, so I just assumed they were going out to get some fresh breakfast rolls from the bakery before it closed up again for the holiday, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. At 8 I woke up and went upstairs to find the kids watching TV in the living room and the breakfast table not set. That was kind of weird, because Maren had clearly been awake for hours and the first thing she does in the mornings is set the table, but I went ahead and set everything out for us and then went to go sit with the kids in the living room. After about half an hour, I hadn't seen either Michael or Maren, so I asked Merit where her parents were. Merit said that her mom was in the hospital, but her dad was upstairs sleeping. My goodness, did I feel like the biggest idiot, for not realizing that that was the reason Maren was awake at 5 am. Apparently her water broke around 4am, but she had enough time to shower and finish up packing her emergency bag before leaving for the hospital. Michael stripped her bed, carried her mattress out to the trash, and dropped her off, but came back so he could sleep a little bit longer. He came down for breakfast at 9, and I asked him if he should go alone or if we should all go in together, and he said we should all go together, but suggested driving separately so I could leave with the kids whenever they started getting bored.
So I got the kids and myself ready, we got to the hospital around 10:30 am, and had to wait for awhile before going in to see Maren. Merit and Marten were the first ones in the room, and you could immediately see the concern on the kids faces when they saw their mom. She was breathing heavily, the way you're supposed to, and hooked up to all these machines that measure not only her vitals, but that baby's as well. Marten asked if she was going to die, and Maren laughed and told him that everything was fine and she would be better than ever in a couple of days. The baby's heart rate increased drastically once we arrived, so Maren said we should only stay for a couple of minutes before heading out again. (The kids kept complaining and arguing, so it was only adding stress for her.) So I took the reluctant kids back home, promising them that their mom was going to be ok. Once we got home, I settled down with my book while the kids jumped off the trampoline, and not a half hour later I got a text message from Michael saying that the baby had just been born. Her name is Miriam, and she weighed 3,040 grams upon arrival and was 49 centimeters long. (aka- adorably tiny!!)
Later that day, Maren's parents came over to visit with their daughter and granddaughter, and to take Marten to stay with them for a couple of days. Maren stayed in the hospital until Thursday, but we kept our barbecue date that evening with the neighbors. Everyone joked about how rude it was of Maren to not attend.
Today is Sunday, so they've only been here for 3 days, but it already feels totally natural to have a baby in the house. She's very calm and quiet most of the time, and only starts to whine when she's hungry or has gas. She usually sleeps between 3 and 5 hours at a time, (Maren puts her to bed around 11:30 and usually has to wake her up between 4 and 5 for her next feeding!) and is given lots of love and attention by her big sister, Merit. Marten still hasn't come home yet, so I'm sure the dynamic will change once he is back. He demands a lot of attention himself, since until now he has always been the baby in the family and is used to having at least one adult give it to him. In fact, any time his mom is having a conversation with someone else, he starts saying "Mama!" louder and louder until she actually turns away from the other person and listens to him. So this should be interesting... But I think he'll learn pretty quickly that he can't yell anymore and can't always have attention. Hopefully, anyway :P
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
When its Springtime in Alaska, it is 40 below...
Winter is never ending. Seriously. We've had little shimmery moments of hope when the sun peaks through the clouds for an hour or so, but then the next Armageddon-style cloud attacks and we don't see sunlight again for 3 days. I would like some summertime weather, please.
My thoughts are super jumbled right now... Between thinking in a strange German/English combination and constantly writing status updates on Facebook in third person, my head is very confused. Hopefully this blog will be understandable the whole way through, haha!
The due date is May 28th, but we're all hoping the baby will decide to come out sooner. My host mom had a doctor's appointment this morning, and was very disappointed to hear that the big day won't be any time soon. She mentions about three times a day how ready she is to hold her baby (aka- have it OUT!) and I think the hormones are starting to get on my host dad's nerves. Well, all of our nerves, really :P
Because of the upcoming birth and following newborn baby, I don't have anything planned for the next month. I'm hoping to get away for a weekend in June, maybe finally visit either Olli or Kris! But we'll see what happens... Plans don't seem to get carried through very easily here... Especially when Iceland keeps spewing ash all over the place. Yeah, I'm still bitter about that. Oh, it just occured to me that some of you might not know what "that" is reference to! Haha :) Kristina and I had a really wonderful 5 day weekend planned for me to go visit her and meet her family. We had picked the dates carefully, since it was just before the "danger zone" for the pregnancy, where we thought the baby might come at any moment, and it was one of the only convenient weeks for Kristina's family as well. But then the volcano in Iceland exploded all over Europe, grounding air traffic for 4 or 5 days. We thought about rescheduling for the next week, but it never ended up working. Between our nerves about a premature baby and previous plans that Kristina's family had made, it just wasn't going to be possible. So now I have to wait until September or October to go visit her :( And if I end up coming home after my contract, that means I'll only be able to go once! So, let's all take a moment and glare at Iceland together. *GLARES*
I know this topic doesn't interest many of you out there, but it is really the only thing on my mind right now. LOST. Yes, the television series. It is unfortunately coming to an end this season, and things are starting to get intense!! Only two episodes left, I believe, until there shall be no more! Sad day. I don't want to throw any spoilers out there for those who might be a little behind, but I will say this: Jack = Jacob. Confusing, right?! Ok, that's all my TV talk for now :P
I'm switiching back to the baby talk... There are three name options for this little bundle of joy: Miriam, Merle, or Maybrit. Yes, Maybrit is a legitimate German name. Michele looked it up. Haha! If they decide to name her Maybrit, I am going to be a very confused aupair. Not just because it is a hideous name, but also because I'll be thinking they are talking to be every time they say it. Seriously... I was voting for Mena or Mia... Neither of which made the final cut.
We are also looking into buying a bigger house... Moving with this very neurotic mother will be quite the experience. Stay tuned for more updates...
My thoughts are super jumbled right now... Between thinking in a strange German/English combination and constantly writing status updates on Facebook in third person, my head is very confused. Hopefully this blog will be understandable the whole way through, haha!
The due date is May 28th, but we're all hoping the baby will decide to come out sooner. My host mom had a doctor's appointment this morning, and was very disappointed to hear that the big day won't be any time soon. She mentions about three times a day how ready she is to hold her baby (aka- have it OUT!) and I think the hormones are starting to get on my host dad's nerves. Well, all of our nerves, really :P
Because of the upcoming birth and following newborn baby, I don't have anything planned for the next month. I'm hoping to get away for a weekend in June, maybe finally visit either Olli or Kris! But we'll see what happens... Plans don't seem to get carried through very easily here... Especially when Iceland keeps spewing ash all over the place. Yeah, I'm still bitter about that. Oh, it just occured to me that some of you might not know what "that" is reference to! Haha :) Kristina and I had a really wonderful 5 day weekend planned for me to go visit her and meet her family. We had picked the dates carefully, since it was just before the "danger zone" for the pregnancy, where we thought the baby might come at any moment, and it was one of the only convenient weeks for Kristina's family as well. But then the volcano in Iceland exploded all over Europe, grounding air traffic for 4 or 5 days. We thought about rescheduling for the next week, but it never ended up working. Between our nerves about a premature baby and previous plans that Kristina's family had made, it just wasn't going to be possible. So now I have to wait until September or October to go visit her :( And if I end up coming home after my contract, that means I'll only be able to go once! So, let's all take a moment and glare at Iceland together. *GLARES*
I know this topic doesn't interest many of you out there, but it is really the only thing on my mind right now. LOST. Yes, the television series. It is unfortunately coming to an end this season, and things are starting to get intense!! Only two episodes left, I believe, until there shall be no more! Sad day. I don't want to throw any spoilers out there for those who might be a little behind, but I will say this: Jack = Jacob. Confusing, right?! Ok, that's all my TV talk for now :P
I'm switiching back to the baby talk... There are three name options for this little bundle of joy: Miriam, Merle, or Maybrit. Yes, Maybrit is a legitimate German name. Michele looked it up. Haha! If they decide to name her Maybrit, I am going to be a very confused aupair. Not just because it is a hideous name, but also because I'll be thinking they are talking to be every time they say it. Seriously... I was voting for Mena or Mia... Neither of which made the final cut.
We are also looking into buying a bigger house... Moving with this very neurotic mother will be quite the experience. Stay tuned for more updates...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Deutscher Fußballmeister - FCB!!!
I had an ammmaaaazing trip to Berlin yesterday! My host dad invited me to go to the last game of the German Championship, which was Bayern vs. Berlin. Our tickets were in the Bayern fan section (the part of the stadium where all the loud, obnoxious, and drunk fans act as constant cheerleaders during the entire game). I've been in this section before, and it is a lot of fun because of all the energy that the fans give out. But last time, I dressed completely inappropriately in my ballet flats and a sweatshirt (my feet were soaked with beer by the end of the night, and I was sweating so much I thought I had definitely lost 10 pounds in water weight). So this time I put on my old and dirty tennis shoes and one of my thin and loose H&M t-shirts. Four of Micheal's friends were coming along with us, one of which had a birthday the day before so Micheal invited him to the VIP lounge with him. The two of them were dressed as though they were going to the Opera, and not a soccer game. Haha :)
So we started off leaving at 9 in the morning, with the hopes of doing some sight-seeing before the 3pm game. I got stuck driving, of course, so Micheal and his friends could drink some beers on the way there. Yes, that is legal. I could technically drink too, as the driver, as long as I didn't go over the limit. I didn't, though. Duh. That'd be weird.
So we got to Berlin right at 12, got our parking spot in the VIP section (thanks to Micheal), and went to one of the fan bars near the stadium. As we're sitting there, thousands of Bayern fans dressed in any red shred of clothing they could find (mostly fan scarves and flags wrapped around their bodies) march down the streets of Berlin and head towards the stadium. In an hour I saw more drunk people than I've seen in my entire life. Everyone was shouting and cheering and the top of their lungs, and there were still three hours to go before the game even started! It was awesome. An hour ahead of time, we started walking towards the stadium, and Micheal's friend told me that he wanted me to go to the VIP lounge in his place, since it would probably be my only opportunity to experience it. I was shocked, needless to say, and refused at first, mostly because of my soccer-mom appearance. But he insisted, and so did Micheal, so I took him up on his offer. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I was in the VIP lounge in Berlin during the final for the German Championship. It might not sound that amazing to you guys, but it was AMAZING for me.
We got to go through our own little entrance on the side, where there was no half-hour long wait and security didn't even ask to search my purse. It was super cool. So we walk into the lounge, and it is at least 5 stories high. Its like this secret chamber between the regular entry way and the field. I never even knew it existed! Haha! The lighting was very cool... This purple, blue, orange combination at a candlelight setting. Very moody. We walked around for a bit, checking out the buffets of free food waiting for us to consume them, and then found Micheal's friends at an exclusive table near the Player's Lounge... That being the area where the soccer players hang out and eat. I was about 100 feet away from them. *dies*
After the game, we went back to our awesome little cool-persons table. We had another drink, and as I was finishing mine I noticed someone walking towards us. As he got closer, people kept stopping him and asking to take pictures with him... I was staring at him, trying to figure out who he was, but didn't recognize him at all. I'm pretty good at the celebrity game, but the fact that this guy was under my radar bugged me. I kind of shrugged it off, and continued on with my drink, until I realized that he had taken the seat next to me, and was talking to me. Whhhhaaaaat?! Apparently he was friends with one of the other guys at our table. As we're chatting, people keep interrupting us to ask for his picture... WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY?! Finally, I gave up and confessed that I had no idea who he was (thank you, wine, for making me an idiot). He kind of laughed, gave me a pat on the back, and told me that he wasn't anyone important. Micheal was sitting on the opposite side of the table, and took a picture of the two of us as this guy was getting up to leave. After he left, I asked Micheal who he was, and apparently he was Germany's champion boxer. I've been trying to google for his name, but I'll have to ask Micheal again. Hahaha!
(UPDATE! I remembered the name "Abraham" and googled that... And found him! Arthur Abraham... Ring a bell for any of you boxing fans out there? I still have no idea who he is... Hahaha! Here's his wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Abraham)
After that, we left and met up with the other people in our group (the guy who was supposed to be in the VIP lounge ended up in the fan pit, and looked like a total mess. *guilty*) and drove back to Northeim. It was an aaaaaammmmmaaaaaazing day!!! I kept a lot of things from the VIP lounge that I probably wasn't supposed to, and Micheal bought be a little flag with original signatures from all of the Berlin team.
Throughout the entire evening, I couldn't help but remember all the catering jobs I did working events just like that one. I'd watch the waitresses and busboys chatting politely with patrons, while holding heavy trays of dishs, and then turn and disappear through the kitchen doors. And I knew as soon as they passed through those doors, they'd start cussing and complaining about the idiot who was making them stand there while dying under the weight of the tray. I know, because I've been there. For five years I was on that side of the kitchen... And I almost prefer it. Sure, it was fun to be one of the elite, but it simply isn't where I belong. Not right now, anyway. And especially not while I was looking in a scrub in my tennis and t-shirt. It was an amazing evening, and it won't be one I forget soon. Such a memory!!! :) But for now, I'll stick with being the waitress and not the waited upon.
So we started off leaving at 9 in the morning, with the hopes of doing some sight-seeing before the 3pm game. I got stuck driving, of course, so Micheal and his friends could drink some beers on the way there. Yes, that is legal. I could technically drink too, as the driver, as long as I didn't go over the limit. I didn't, though. Duh. That'd be weird.
So we got to Berlin right at 12, got our parking spot in the VIP section (thanks to Micheal), and went to one of the fan bars near the stadium. As we're sitting there, thousands of Bayern fans dressed in any red shred of clothing they could find (mostly fan scarves and flags wrapped around their bodies) march down the streets of Berlin and head towards the stadium. In an hour I saw more drunk people than I've seen in my entire life. Everyone was shouting and cheering and the top of their lungs, and there were still three hours to go before the game even started! It was awesome. An hour ahead of time, we started walking towards the stadium, and Micheal's friend told me that he wanted me to go to the VIP lounge in his place, since it would probably be my only opportunity to experience it. I was shocked, needless to say, and refused at first, mostly because of my soccer-mom appearance. But he insisted, and so did Micheal, so I took him up on his offer. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I was in the VIP lounge in Berlin during the final for the German Championship. It might not sound that amazing to you guys, but it was AMAZING for me.
We got to go through our own little entrance on the side, where there was no half-hour long wait and security didn't even ask to search my purse. It was super cool. So we walk into the lounge, and it is at least 5 stories high. Its like this secret chamber between the regular entry way and the field. I never even knew it existed! Haha! The lighting was very cool... This purple, blue, orange combination at a candlelight setting. Very moody. We walked around for a bit, checking out the buffets of free food waiting for us to consume them, and then found Micheal's friends at an exclusive table near the Player's Lounge... That being the area where the soccer players hang out and eat. I was about 100 feet away from them. *dies*
After a couple glasses of beer (or wine, for me) we decided to move on out to the field. We had an amazing view. I was so close to the field, it was incredible! And of course the game was fabulous... Bayern won 3:1. The first goal took me by surprise, and I didn't even get a chance to take out my camera before Olic had scored. For the second goal, I had my camera already in place and got a shot just as the ball was passing the goalie. (see picture below) It was amazing. Their third goal happened just after Klose had taken the field, so I was anticipating it. I had my camera in my hands, aimed at the goal, but when it actually happened jumped out of my chair, threw my hands in the air, and screamed and cheered until I realized that my camera had been flung out of my hands and landed a couple of chairs to my right. (Daddy, ignore that last sentence. Of course I'm taking impeccable care of your very lovely camera!) The guy who handed it back to me was a very unhappy Berlin fan, but he managed to give me an ironic smile in return for my apologetic one.
After the game, we went back to our awesome little cool-persons table. We had another drink, and as I was finishing mine I noticed someone walking towards us. As he got closer, people kept stopping him and asking to take pictures with him... I was staring at him, trying to figure out who he was, but didn't recognize him at all. I'm pretty good at the celebrity game, but the fact that this guy was under my radar bugged me. I kind of shrugged it off, and continued on with my drink, until I realized that he had taken the seat next to me, and was talking to me. Whhhhaaaaat?! Apparently he was friends with one of the other guys at our table. As we're chatting, people keep interrupting us to ask for his picture... WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY?! Finally, I gave up and confessed that I had no idea who he was (thank you, wine, for making me an idiot). He kind of laughed, gave me a pat on the back, and told me that he wasn't anyone important. Micheal was sitting on the opposite side of the table, and took a picture of the two of us as this guy was getting up to leave. After he left, I asked Micheal who he was, and apparently he was Germany's champion boxer. I've been trying to google for his name, but I'll have to ask Micheal again. Hahaha!
(UPDATE! I remembered the name "Abraham" and googled that... And found him! Arthur Abraham... Ring a bell for any of you boxing fans out there? I still have no idea who he is... Hahaha! Here's his wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Abraham)
After that, we left and met up with the other people in our group (the guy who was supposed to be in the VIP lounge ended up in the fan pit, and looked like a total mess. *guilty*) and drove back to Northeim. It was an aaaaaammmmmaaaaaazing day!!! I kept a lot of things from the VIP lounge that I probably wasn't supposed to, and Micheal bought be a little flag with original signatures from all of the Berlin team.
Throughout the entire evening, I couldn't help but remember all the catering jobs I did working events just like that one. I'd watch the waitresses and busboys chatting politely with patrons, while holding heavy trays of dishs, and then turn and disappear through the kitchen doors. And I knew as soon as they passed through those doors, they'd start cussing and complaining about the idiot who was making them stand there while dying under the weight of the tray. I know, because I've been there. For five years I was on that side of the kitchen... And I almost prefer it. Sure, it was fun to be one of the elite, but it simply isn't where I belong. Not right now, anyway. And especially not while I was looking in a scrub in my tennis and t-shirt. It was an amazing evening, and it won't be one I forget soon. Such a memory!!! :) But for now, I'll stick with being the waitress and not the waited upon.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Fresh Start!
As many of you know, I ran out of memory space on my other blog site. Boo to webs.com! Haha :) So I'm giving it another go here at blogger.com, and we'll see if it works!
So much has happened in between my last blog and now, that I'm not going to try to force it all back to memory... I'll keep writing as I remember, but right now all I want to talk about is an exciting new opportunity that my host dad has given me! One afternoon, he asked me when Kristina was planning on flying home, to see if we could organize a way to fly back together. I informed him that Kristina has agreed to staying at least one more year, and he asked me how that was possible with her aupair visa. I told him that she is on a student visa, and can continue to prolong it as long as she is still enrolled in college classes. A couple of evenings later, he offered to help me go through the application and enrollment process here at Göttingen University. After 3 years, I'd have a bachelor's degree as well as wonderful life experience. This was sort of my plan from the beginning, but he had never thought about it until now. So hopefully we will be able to work something out... Right now, I'm trying to figure out if the entire family would like me to stay. I've also created a time line with the application deadlines... I have to be enrolled before July 15th for the start of the winter semester. Plenty of time, but we all know how quickly that goes by! In two weeks I'll be celebrating my 8 month anniversary here and, besides the improvement in my Germany, it seems like it has only been 1 or 2!!
I hope everyone is still doing well, and I apologize for the huge gap in updates! For the next couple of days, I'll be uploading my old blog entries and hopefully some of the pictures that I've taken while out here... Welcome to my new blog!! :)
So much has happened in between my last blog and now, that I'm not going to try to force it all back to memory... I'll keep writing as I remember, but right now all I want to talk about is an exciting new opportunity that my host dad has given me! One afternoon, he asked me when Kristina was planning on flying home, to see if we could organize a way to fly back together. I informed him that Kristina has agreed to staying at least one more year, and he asked me how that was possible with her aupair visa. I told him that she is on a student visa, and can continue to prolong it as long as she is still enrolled in college classes. A couple of evenings later, he offered to help me go through the application and enrollment process here at Göttingen University. After 3 years, I'd have a bachelor's degree as well as wonderful life experience. This was sort of my plan from the beginning, but he had never thought about it until now. So hopefully we will be able to work something out... Right now, I'm trying to figure out if the entire family would like me to stay. I've also created a time line with the application deadlines... I have to be enrolled before July 15th for the start of the winter semester. Plenty of time, but we all know how quickly that goes by! In two weeks I'll be celebrating my 8 month anniversary here and, besides the improvement in my Germany, it seems like it has only been 1 or 2!!
I hope everyone is still doing well, and I apologize for the huge gap in updates! For the next couple of days, I'll be uploading my old blog entries and hopefully some of the pictures that I've taken while out here... Welcome to my new blog!! :)
Posts from Previous Site
Setting up the Website (01.July.2009)
So, this is the first time out of high school I've created a website... Its quite an experience! I'm not the most tech-savvy person out there, so it may take awhile to make sure everything is in working order.
I scoped out prices for video cameras today... I think I'm going to buy the new Flip video camera. The quality of the recording seems to be pretty good, so hopefully I'll be able to get a video posted on here shortly!
If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave your input! Thank you!
New Video Camera! (07.July.2009)
I bought myself the Kodak Zi6 last week! Its pretty adorable, and can record in HD so it'll have nice quality! Unfortunately, there were some miscommunications about the systems that the software for the camera work under and it isn't compatible with the computer I have now. But, I am buying a new computer before leaving, so it will only be a hassel for two more months
For those of you who are locally available, I'm having a little get together - belated birthday and early going away party. I'll give you more details about it later, as I'm not quite sure about many of them right now.
Tomorrow is the 8th- exactly 2 months away from the date that I plan on flying out!!! Now all I need is a plane ticket... Hmm...
Northeim, Germany (10.July.2009)
I looked into the colleges in the area that I will be living in (Northeim), and apparently not too far from my town is one of the largest college cities in Germany (Göttingen). Gerhard Schröder attended college there. Impressive! They offer a BA in American Studies, which is basically the anthropological study of American culture and is taught mostly in English. If I decide to stay there, I think I'll check it out.
I ordered 3 books to help me improve my German before leaving and they arrived in the mail today. I'm very excited! I already read through the first chapter in one of the books! Haha!
I can't wait to go hiking in the Harz Mountains!!! I hear it is one of the most beautiful places in Germany!
You all should visit me! And, by the way, whoever doesn't have a skype account should get one imminently. And whoever does have a skype account should add me imminently: brittkar.
www.skype.com
All it takes is one little download, and it is basically like using AOL Instant Messenger, only you can make phone calls through the internet as well! The phone calls are free between skype users, but there are chargers to make a call to someone's actual phone. Anyway, check it out!!
23 and Counting! (20.July.2009)
Today is my 23rd birthday! WooHoo! But, more importantly, it is the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Raise your glasses to Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin!
Over the weekend, my dad and I went to the Apple Store and picked up a new computer for yours truly. It is beautiful! And all the better to keep in contact with!
Invitations for my late birthday/early going away party are in the mail, so I expect to see most of your smiling faces in two weeks! I've got six weeks left in California, so its time to start making the most of it My family in Germany sent me a happy birthday email this morning (I didn't tell them it was my birthday, they remembered that from my work application. Aww!) saying that they hope I enjoy my "last weeks of freedom". *cue ominous music*
Last Month in California! (06.August.2009)
I leave for Germany in just over a month, so its time for me to start cleaning out my closet... I have no idea how much I'll be able to take with me (I still have to get a suitcase!), but I know it will definitely be about a third of what I have now. Haha! Moving to San Diego last year was a good way to thin out my collection of crap, but now getting my stuff ready to move to Germany is going to be quite the task.
A friend from Germany and his girlfriend are coming to California tomorrow... I'll get to do all the touristy things that I want to do with them, as a way to get my fill of Southern California. Hopefully it'll be enough to hold me over for the next year, but I can tell you right now I am going to miss the beach. A lot.
My family brought home our new puppy on Tuesday!! He is so sweet and tiny and wiggly! His name is Atka, which is Inuit for "gaurdian spirit". As if leaving Rex wasn't going to be hard enough, now there is a little ball of puppy cuddles that I'll have to leave behind, too! Oh, and my family... I guess they'll be hard to leave :P
This weekend is going to be busy! I pick up Richy (German friend!) from the airport on Friday, Saturday will be an all-day crab feast with the family, and then Sunday is my going away party. So much to do, so little time!!
Going Away Party (20.August.2009)
My party was on September 9th, and it was a blast! Thank you to everyone who came!! I was very happy to see all of you again, and hopefully we can get together sometime in the next two weeks!
Since I didn't bring my own camera, I don't have very many pictures from that day... But I'm going to go steal my Mom's camera later and upload pictures from that, so hopefully I'll have enough to make an album on here For now, I'll just put up this picture: It is the majority of people who came... Some left before the picture, and some arrived after it was taken, but this is the general group of people who were there. Again, guys, thanks so much for coming!!!
**EDIT** Its been brought to my attention that I got the date of my party wrong... SORRY! My party was on AUGUST 9th, not September. Silly me. I leave on September 8th... So I guess I'm subconsciously focused on that right now.
Goodbye, California! (06.September.2009)
I'm wrapping up my last weekend in California... It is very strange to think that tonight is the last night I'll be sleeping in my bed.
Since the party, I've been having a really great time doing touristy things with my German friends... We went to Disneyland, the Zoo, Seaworld, saw a baseball game, had beach bonfires, and did a lot of shopping! I hadn't been able to spend much time cleaning and organizing my room, but my AMAZING Uncle E and Aunt T came down yesterday to go hiking, and afterwards helped me out a whole lot in my room! We only worked in there for an hour, but we finished packing up everything that is going to my parent's house! Now all I need to do is pack up my carry-on!
Last night, Michele and I hosted our final Sister's Night for the year. It was, of course, and excellent evening.
Today I'm spending time with some friends before doing the final cleaning of my room and bathroom, and then tomorrow I'm taking all my stuff over to my parent's house to find somewhere to put it for the next year. Then, my family and I will enjoy a relaxing day by the pool!!
My flight leaves at 11 am the next day (which will be Tuesday the 8th)!! Thanks for keeping up with me and my last couple of months here ... I hope to make my Germany updates much more regularly than the have been, so I'll thank you in advance for taking the time to keep up with all my German activities!!
Gefrees, Germany (09.September.2009)
Well, after a stressful morning in California, I finally made it to the airport and arrived safely in Germany a couple of hours ago. I just got to Richy's house in Gefrees, and after a quick shower I'm going to lay down for an hour or so before going out to dinner with some friends. But now, I'll let you know about my adventure yesterday morning:
First of all, Monday night I had a HORRIBLE night's sleep. I slept downstairs on the couch, and the puppy kept making noises until finally around 2:30 he settled down and we both fell asleep. Then, at 4, he started whining again and freaking out, so I took him out and he had a big poop... Poor puppy!! He fell right back asleep after that, but I, of course, did not. I finally got up around 5:30 to finish packing up my suitcase, and Mom, Dad, and I were ready to hit the road at 6:45... Or so we thought.
We weighed my suitcase and discovered it was 20 pounds over the limit that Lufthansa has for a single piece of luggage, so Dad spent some time digging around trying to find a second suitcase for me, but we ended up giving up and deciding to just pay the overwieght fee at check-in (a very painful $150 fee!). After that, Papa left to take back the rental car he and Mom had used for the weekend, and Mom and I were getting ready to meet him at Hertz when we realized that my car was blocking the one we wanted to drive. So I went inside, grabbed my keys, and started up my car to move it... Not. My car wouldn't start. Every time I tried to turn it over, it made a horrible clicking sound like the battery had died. I put it in to neutral and started coasting down the driveway so we could at least get it out of the way of the car we wanted to drive, when Mom discovered that the battery in that car was also dead. How ironic. So, we went to the third car that was available to us and, lo and behold, it also did not turn over. Three dead cars, and a bit of a time crunch. I called Dad and had him turn around, and we ended up taking their rental car to LAX. Then, on the way to the airport, I tried calling Lufhansa, United, and the company I booked my flight with to figure out what terminal we should go to since it was a Lufthansa flight, but operated by United. United Airlines had no record of my existence, which put me in to a paniced rush to confirm with Lufthansa and the booking agent that I actually had a seat on the plane. They both said I did, but could not give me the information I needed to confirm my spot with United, so the rest of the way there I was stressing out about having to buy a new ticket. On top of that, I discovered through Lufthansa that my flight time had been changed from 11am to 10:40am and no one told me about it, so with the half hour delay in the morning and the 20 minute alteration, I was very quickly running out of time. Luckily, we made it to the airport one hour before take off, and there were hardly any lines checking in and going through security. The rest of the day, while physically cramped (why do airlines have to make the seats so small?!?), went very well. I landed in Chicago at 4:30, enjoyed my 2 hour layover, and had an empty seat next to me during the flight to Frankfurt. I didn't get to sleep much on either plane ride, but I hope in the end that'll help me avoid jet lag.
Now, however, I am going to try and take a quick nap... I just wanted to update everyone on my oh-so-awesome travel adventure, and to let you all know that I am safe and sound in BEAUTIFUL southern Germany!!
First Impressions (14.September.2009)
First of all, let me just say that you know you're in Germany when the leftover food is put in the hallway instead of in the refridgerator (this can also be cross-referenced with the "You know you're in trouble when..." category).
So, yesterday was my first day with my host family. They're all really great.... Patient, helpful, and kind. The 7 year old and I bonded over Shakira because, let's face it, who doesn't love Shakira? Marten, the 5 year old, decided to steal one of my favorite scarves. Today, I went to the Goethe Institute and tested so I could get a certificate that shows I can read, listen to, write, and speak German. I kind well on it... Well enough to pass, anyway For the listening, I got 22/25. For reading and speaking 21/25, and for writing I only got 20/25... But I don't think I'll be writing very many complete sentences while on the job, so alles Klar. After I was finished with the test, Michael presented me with several Goethe-Institute-bought presents, including a "verb wheel" to help me conjugate popular verbs, a journal, a keycahin, a pin, and a wicked-awesome lime green umbrella which is a German Necessity. He's going to be a really great host father
After that, he dropped me off at the house and went to work for a little bit. Maren (host mother) took me and the kids out to the forest for a little hike. The forest is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! Even in all of its beauty, I couldn't get over how cold it was. September in Germany is colder than January in California. And I knew that going in to it, but physically being here is a huge shock. Everyone keeps telling me that it is colder than usual for this time of the year, but that is less comforting more "oh god, what is it going to be like in December?".
Jetzt, ich muß ins Bett gehen... Now I must go to bed. But hopefully I can figure out how to get the wireless internet going to upload those pictures and videos that I promised!!
Time for an Update! (23.September.2009)
So, Merit (the daughter) has been home from school with a bad headache last week and so far this week, which means I haven't had much time to give a little update... Not much alone time! But a lot of you have been keeping up to date with facebook, so a new blog wasn't exactly necessary.
The family has been really great... The kids and I get in to a couple of little tiffs here and there when they don't want to do what they are supposed to, but we haven't had any major problems. The city is kind of perfect; its small and comfortable, yet has a lot of restaurants and shopping no more than a 10 minute walk from the house. I've gone walking in the forest several times, and it just amazes me how gorgeous it is. I have to take my camera next time I go, and also next time I walk around the city... I haven't been taking very many pictures since I got here! But when I do walk around, people who I haven't even met yet seem to know who I am, though, because those who can speak to me in English, and those who can't ask if I understand German before I even say "Hallo" to them... Living in a small town kinda feels like getting stalked... Haha!
This morning, I did a little web surfing and found a site that streams episodes of So You Think You Can Dance... So all those who were worried about me missing out on this season, fret no longer! I've only watched the first episode, but I will be caught up soon! No worries! Haha
And in case you haven't heard, my dog isn't doing very well... He's been very sick for the last couple of weeks, and my parents are concerned that he won't be able to make it until April when I come home again... So please keep him in your thoughts, and I'll let you all know what happens, good or bad.
Love on the Rocks - Sara Bareilles (30.September.2009)
Since I'm not the greatest with creative blog titles, I'm going to start writing the title as the name of the song that I'm currently listening to
This morning, I walked down to the City Center and took some pictures along the way. They have been uploaded to the Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure! And now, for a little update about the family:
Merit is no longer in the hospital... She spent about 4 days there, and I still don't know why. It started with a headache, but 4 days and 5 nights in a hospital seems a bit extreme for that. She seems perfectly healthy to me... And she went back to school on Monday, so I guess everything is fine!
Marten is finally starting to get used to the idea of having me around. He didn't want to play with me or let me walk him to school... Every morning he and his mom had an argument about it. But now it is normal for him, and we are starting to get along! He's still bossy, which doesn't fly with me. I tell him to be nicer to me because we are friends, and we're working on it!!
Micheal and Maren are great host parents... I spend most of my days with Maren while Micheal works, and she and I are communicating pretty well. And when I don't know what she's saying, we pull out the dictionary and look it up! Haha... My German course started this week, so the language barrier will only continue to get smaller and smaller.
I, of course, still don't know why I do half the things I do, though. Like, for instance, this morning I went to the City Center to get my picture taken. Why? I have no idea. But I did it. And now I have 4 copies of a very bad picture of me from my shoulders up. It looks like a passport picture... Hmm...
The weather is getting cooler, and the seasons are definitely changing. While the mornings are sunny, by 11am the clouds roll in and the rest of the day is overcast. It is regularly around 14° C (60° F), but it is humid enough to keep the chill away. It feels as though it is around 70° F. I have to start looking for long underwear, though. And gloves.
Kristina is coming to visit!! It is supposedly for her birthday, but since I'm making her do all the work that just doesn't seem like a good birthday present... Haha She's going to fly in on November 5th, spend the 6th and the 7th in Northeim, and then she and I will take the train to the airport, spend the night in the city, and then she flies back home on the 8th. We are still working out details, but it is definitely going to happen Provided she and I can find a sweatshirt or winter jacket for her, anyway... Haha.
I have a Rexy update, but it is not a happy one. After going to the vet again, he was put on steroids to increase his appetite, but it had no positive effect. And his blood work started to show signs of infection, so my parents, Tess, and the vet all agreed there was nothing more that we could do for him. Before that final vet visit, I didn't want to put him down just yet... But afterwards, it gave me the peace of mind to know that we had done everything that we could have done. He just wasn't going to get better, so on September 25th, they put him to sleep. These last couple of days have been rough for all of us, but we know that we made the right decision. And I'm very thankful to my parents for bringing him in to the vet to see if there was anything else that could have been done... Without that, I think it would have taken me a very long time to move on from his death. But, even though I think about him constantly and cry nearly every time I'm alone, I know that'll only last for a little while. He's with Grandma Lou now And I'll see both of them soon! (But not too soon!!!!) Thank you all for your positive thoughts! My baby knew he was loved
Oil and Water - Incubus (16.October.2009)
So, last night I typed out this blog entry, but for some reason it didn't post... And now I have to try to remember what I talked about before. Hahaha
Last weekend, we visited Maren's parents in Halberstadt. It is a really cute little town about an hour north of here... It borders the Harz forest and has a lot of history to it. Most of the old city wall is still standing! We were there from Thursday October 7th to Monday October 11th, and I posted the pictures from the trip last night. It was a lot of fun But her parents live in a 2 bedroom house, so Maren put me up in a hotel... So that was kind of strange, but it was also nice to have quiet mornings
I've been going hiking with this group of people who meets up every Wednesday... The first time I went, it was only two other ladies and they are both over 60, so I wasn't all that enthusiastic about going again. But I did, because I like hiking in the forests here a lot, and the next time more people came! They are all older than me, by a lot, but that doesn't really matter... What matters is that it is fun, pretty, and another opportunity for me to meet people and expand my communication skills!
Today its really rainy, so I'm taking the kids to this place called Kinder Stadt (Kid City)... I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm assuming it is some sort of indoor playground. Like Chuck E Cheese or something. So we'll see how that goes... Haha!
Tomorrow is Merit's 8th birthday and she's having a pajama party with 6 or so of her friends... So I'm definitely going to lock myself up in my room. I'm sure they're going to be INSANE. It'll make for an interesting night!
These last two weeks the kids have had a break from school, but they start up again on Monday. So the days will slow down again, and we'll work back into our routine, and hopefully I'll have more time to work on the website But thanks for stopping by and checking up on me!!!
Dancing Queen - ABBA (11.November.2009)
So, the weekend of Kristina's visit just passed! We had a lot of fun sight-seeing and goofing around. Those of you with FaceBook, have already seen the pictures... But I'll be uploading some onto here in the next day or so, along with a new video!
My host family is doing great. As always, my language is improving along with my relationship with the kids. I bought them some souveniors from one of the day trips that Kristina and I made, and they seemed to really appreciate it. Merit (the girl) also made Kristina a card and gave her a birthday present the first night she got here! Sometimes those devils can be awfully sweet
On Saturday we went to Goslar, which is a lovely town with a lot of history. We spent most of our time in the Kaiserpfalz, which has been the home to several Kaisers. We walked around the inner city a little bit, and had a lovely authentic German lunch, and then had to skedaddle out of there because the parking meter was running out of time. We made it back to Northeim in time to have an hour-long Skype session with the family in CA, and then my host parents left for the evening so we put the kids to bed, which was much less difficult than the first time I did it alone. Thank goodness.
On Sunday, we wandered around the forest, and then spent the morning in Norten Hardenburg, playing around in 1,000 year old castle ruins. We had another great lunch, and then went to a little park that had lots of pretty fall colors in it. Then we drove to Einbeck, which is famous for its beer and beautiful buildings. By the time we got there, however, it was too dark to really see the beautiful buildings, and the brewery was closed. So we drank some yummy hot chocolate and had some weird ice cream, and then went home.
Monday was the day that Kristina had to fly back to Palma, so we got up early so she could pack and then took off. We got there around an hour before take-off, and Kristina had her first German pretzel! But it was kinda crappy, since it came from an airport cafe and all. So, next time we have to go to a bakery and find a real one! Haha
I found out last night why Halloween isn't a big holiday here... Two weeks later, the kids walk around singing songs and recieve bucket loads of candy from the neighbors. Its more of a religious celebration, and seems to be a popular tradition, since I got stuck walking around with 8 of the kids from the neighborhood. Their moms decided they'd be happier sitting at home drinking tea than walking around in the 4°C and rainy weather with their kids... Who can blame 'em?
Today is Wednesday, which means I get to meet up with my hiking group! It should be fun, as it always is!! I just found out that I'm free the weekend on November 13th, so maybe I'll make a little Friday the 13th Adventure out of it! We'll see!!
Homesick - Train (15.November.2009)
So... As much as I miss everyone, I still have yet to feel very homesick. The only rough patch was with Rexy, but I would have been upset no matter what country I'm living in. I don't know if it is a matter of maturity, independence, or just a lack of emotions, but I honestly haven't felt homesick.
I did, however, have an "oh-crap-what-did-I-get-myself-into?" moment when I first got in the car exactly 2 months and 1 day ago. Everyone started immediately trying to carry on conversations with me in German, and for a split second I thought I had made a terrible mistake. But everything has been going so smoothly since then, its just amazing living here!
This student exchange girl, Lisa, and I went to Göttingen this weekend. My host family was out of town, so we spent the entire Saturday walking around this French market that was set up in the innercity. The weather was nice, and we had an enjoyable time. We decided to check out the movie theater, to see if there were any English films playing, so we headed towards to train station because that is the most direct route to the movie theater. As we got closer, we noticed a strange amount of police cars in town, but didn't think very much of it. The closer and closer we got, the more we came across though, and it started to feel very wrong. Turns out, they all were centered at the train station. At least 30 vans were there, and well over 100 police officers. But it didn't seem to be a big deal... Everyone was just walking around like nothing was going on. So I decided it must have been some sort of training exercise or something, because they weren't blocking off the train station at all, just hanging out there. We continued on our way only to find no English films at the theater, so we walked back through the police crowd and back into the innercity. There was a large commotion in the center, so we wandered in that direction and discovered many more police officers, all decked out in SWAT gear and with masks over their mouths. There was some sort of protest going on, but we couldn't figure out at all what it was about... So strange. Lisa started taking pictures, and I pulled out my video camera... I got some of the protest on film. Then we moved to a different spot to see if we could read their signs, trying to figure out with certainty what the protest was about, but never could really figure it out. We both pulled out our cameras again, and this old lady shoved her hand in front of my video camera saying she didn't want to be filmed. I told her several times I wasn't filming her and she wasn't in my view, but she kept her hand on my lens until I had put my video camera back in my purse. Lisa and I left then, and as I left I heard the guy who was standing behind me start up an argument with that lady about how I could take pictures of whatever I wanted... I'm just glad we left then before it got into a big fight. Haha We found a group of people speaking English, and I overheard one of the people talking about how the protesting group were fed up with the economy or something. I'm going to upload the videos tonight.
Christmas Time! (28.November.2009)
Thanksgiving has come and gone... I made a little meal of roasted turkey, gravy, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and rice for my host family. They invited Michael's dad over, and the three adults all really appreciated the meal. The two kids, however, did not. Haha They are pretty good eaters, but not when it comes to something they've never seen before. And I was the only one who had a second helping of rice, so I'm not sure if I'll be making the next batch for Christmas. We'll see what happens! Since Thanksgiving is non-exsistant in Germany and Halloween is only lightly celebrated, the entire time I've been here everyone has been focused on Christmas. And with the upcoming First Advent, its even crazier now that it was before. The Advents celebrate the preparation days, the countdown that we in the States love so much. But here, it is totally different. The kids get an actual present every day before Christmas instead of a little piece of chocolate. And the weekend of the First Advent, which is this Sunday, all the Weihnachtsmarkt open all over Germany (Christmas markets). So in every city from now until after Christmas, the entire center sqaure is decked out in lights and decorations, food stands, and gift kiosks. Its insanity. Its like Black Friday every day, shopping wise. Today, the family and I drove into Göttingen to go the Weihnachtsmarkt there, and it basically consisted of Michael entertaining the kids while Maren and I shopped. Which means I got to carry around her $500 worth of merchandise for two hours. It was very exciting.
The weather is turning winter-like. It is cloudy nearly every day, and hardly ever over 9 Grad. My friend, Lisa, is keeping track of how many days it rains. So far in November, it hasn't rained for 3 days. I love it! But everyone else seems to hate it, so I pretend to hate it, too. Hahaha I really don't understand what is wrong with a little bit of rain. And so far I seem to handle the cold much better than my host parents do... But it isn't even December yet, so that might change. Haha!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and that the upcoming holidays are wonderful! I'll take my camera next time we go to the Weihnachtsmarkt, and hopefully will be able to upload some more pictures and videos soon. Love you all!
Happy 2010! (09.January.2010)
Oh my gosh, did this last month fly by! I can't believe my last blog was in November! I suppose I've been updating more on my facebook, and unfortunatley leaving this website behind. I'm sorry! Not many eventful things have happened in the last month, though I do I have another good goose fat story! As well as my first experience on a ski lift, cross-country skiing (on different days!), and a new roommate!
So, the goose fat story I've already posted on facebook... I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote over there on to here:
Goose is delicious. Along with duck, it is one of the more traditional Christmas dinners here in Germany. On the eve of Christmas Eve, some family friends came over for a pre-Christmas dinner, since my family will be busy the rest of the days this week. And we had goose. Mmmmm!! The evening was a success, the goose was (of course) delicious,and Maren had two huge bowls of goose fat set aside on the kitchen counter for later use. Which, to be honest, totally creeps me out. I still can't get over the eating of straight-up animal fat.
Marten is a very grabby 5 year old boy. If he sees something he wants, he dives at it with lightening-speed hands and you literally have to pin him down and pry his hands open to get it back. I have had to do this several times with candy bars.
The day after the goose dinner, we were going to have another big diinner, so Maren made a light lunch so we would all still have our appetites later. Included in this lunch were strawberries, the favorite fruit for both Marten and Merit. After lunch, Marten wanted more strawberries, but they had already eaten all of them and his mom told him so. He, of course, didn't believe her and went throughout the entire kitchen looking for them. There weren't any in the fruit bowl or in the refidgerator... And then he saw the two bowls of goose fat sitting on the counter. The bowls were just barely above his eye line, so he couldn't see what was inside them, but judging by the look on his face he thought for sure there were more strawberries in them. So, with his lightning fast hands, he reached out and grabbed one of the bowls ,pulling it quickly into his chest. Were there strawberries inside, this might not have been a big deal. But since the not-yet-solidified goose fat occupied the bowls, it was a big deal. The goose fat started sloshing around as soon as he grabbed the bowl, and in the second that it took him to get it off the shelf and into his arms, the entire bow lhad emptied onto the counter, onto the floor, and (most awesomely) onto Marten's hands, chest, legs, and FACE. Oh dear lord, if his mom and sister weren't in the kitchen I would have died laughing. But then I had to mop the entire kitchen to clean up his mess, and it wasn't so funny anymore.
Oh man. That was a good day
The weekend before that little goosey adventure, I visited Richy and his family in Gefrees. It was a beautiful and relaxing weekend, and I got to experience my first (and, quite possibly, last) ride on a ski-lift. I am just not comfortable enough with heights to simply enjoy the ride! Man oh man... The entire time, I refused to move so much as my big toe. But it was so gorgeous up there; I think if it weren't for the scenery I probably would have been near tears the whole time! Hahaha! I took some pictures of the beautiful landscape at the top of the 1,024m mountain... The trees were completely covered in snow and ice! And boy, was it cold! Haha! Richy, his mom, and I also went by the world-famous Nürnberg Christmas market, which of course was a blast! I bought some little presents for the kids, Richy's very thoughtful mother bought me a wonderful pyramid, and I picked up Uncle Stan's requested Germany item :P
Two weeks ago, Michael and I took the kids into the Harz for some snow sports! He took Marten sledding and I attempted to go cross-country skiing with Merit. Of course, it was my first time, and I had a lot of difficulty with it. (I think I feel down about 5 times, and each time I landed on the same exact spot on my knee, so I had a lovely black bruise that stayed with me for a week afterwards.) At one point, I fell down, and Merit didn't noticed so she kept on walking (? skiing?), and two guys had to help me up. Initially, they were just standing off to the side and telling me how to get back on me feet, but after several attempts they came over and literally had to help me. One held onto my arm to balance me, and the other grabbed my leg, lifted it higher than I thought it could go, and twisted it so I could swing my ski around to where it was supposed to be. It was slightly embarrassing. I thanked them for their help and told them it was my first time, and one of them muttered "obviously" and they walked away. Hahaha!
Since then, we've had a lot of snow here in Northeim. It is so wonderful! Aside from being cold, I absolutely love being outside And Tiia (the aupair that the Breckles had before me) has been visiting, so we've gone out with the kids a couple of times for sledding and to build igloos, which Marten immediately tears down. We've been sharing my room, which sometimes can be a little tricky, but its been great! Its really nice having someone close to my age around, and especially someone who knows my family so well. One of her first nights here, we went out to dinner and talked the whole time about the kids and the family; things we love, things we hate, things that confuse us, and so on. Its awesome! And its really made me more confident with my German, which is always a plus! She speaks English very well, but is more comfortable speaking German, so unless we're hanging out with my friends, Tiia and I always speak German together. Awesome! But she goes home on Tuesday It will be nice to have my bed to myself again, though. Haha!
Thank you everyone who sent me the wonderful Christmas cards! They arrived shortly after the holidays, but totally brigthened my day!!! I love you all, and I hope everyone is doing well!! In a couple of days, it'll be my 4 month anniversary!! My longest relationship ever! :P
So, this is the first time out of high school I've created a website... Its quite an experience! I'm not the most tech-savvy person out there, so it may take awhile to make sure everything is in working order.
I scoped out prices for video cameras today... I think I'm going to buy the new Flip video camera. The quality of the recording seems to be pretty good, so hopefully I'll be able to get a video posted on here shortly!
If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave your input! Thank you!
New Video Camera! (07.July.2009)
I bought myself the Kodak Zi6 last week! Its pretty adorable, and can record in HD so it'll have nice quality! Unfortunately, there were some miscommunications about the systems that the software for the camera work under and it isn't compatible with the computer I have now. But, I am buying a new computer before leaving, so it will only be a hassel for two more months
For those of you who are locally available, I'm having a little get together - belated birthday and early going away party. I'll give you more details about it later, as I'm not quite sure about many of them right now.
Tomorrow is the 8th- exactly 2 months away from the date that I plan on flying out!!! Now all I need is a plane ticket... Hmm...
Northeim, Germany (10.July.2009)
I looked into the colleges in the area that I will be living in (Northeim), and apparently not too far from my town is one of the largest college cities in Germany (Göttingen). Gerhard Schröder attended college there. Impressive! They offer a BA in American Studies, which is basically the anthropological study of American culture and is taught mostly in English. If I decide to stay there, I think I'll check it out.
I ordered 3 books to help me improve my German before leaving and they arrived in the mail today. I'm very excited! I already read through the first chapter in one of the books! Haha!
I can't wait to go hiking in the Harz Mountains!!! I hear it is one of the most beautiful places in Germany!
You all should visit me! And, by the way, whoever doesn't have a skype account should get one imminently. And whoever does have a skype account should add me imminently: brittkar.
www.skype.com
All it takes is one little download, and it is basically like using AOL Instant Messenger, only you can make phone calls through the internet as well! The phone calls are free between skype users, but there are chargers to make a call to someone's actual phone. Anyway, check it out!!
23 and Counting! (20.July.2009)
Today is my 23rd birthday! WooHoo! But, more importantly, it is the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Raise your glasses to Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin!
Over the weekend, my dad and I went to the Apple Store and picked up a new computer for yours truly. It is beautiful! And all the better to keep in contact with!
Invitations for my late birthday/early going away party are in the mail, so I expect to see most of your smiling faces in two weeks! I've got six weeks left in California, so its time to start making the most of it My family in Germany sent me a happy birthday email this morning (I didn't tell them it was my birthday, they remembered that from my work application. Aww!) saying that they hope I enjoy my "last weeks of freedom". *cue ominous music*
Last Month in California! (06.August.2009)
I leave for Germany in just over a month, so its time for me to start cleaning out my closet... I have no idea how much I'll be able to take with me (I still have to get a suitcase!), but I know it will definitely be about a third of what I have now. Haha! Moving to San Diego last year was a good way to thin out my collection of crap, but now getting my stuff ready to move to Germany is going to be quite the task.
A friend from Germany and his girlfriend are coming to California tomorrow... I'll get to do all the touristy things that I want to do with them, as a way to get my fill of Southern California. Hopefully it'll be enough to hold me over for the next year, but I can tell you right now I am going to miss the beach. A lot.
My family brought home our new puppy on Tuesday!! He is so sweet and tiny and wiggly! His name is Atka, which is Inuit for "gaurdian spirit". As if leaving Rex wasn't going to be hard enough, now there is a little ball of puppy cuddles that I'll have to leave behind, too! Oh, and my family... I guess they'll be hard to leave :P
This weekend is going to be busy! I pick up Richy (German friend!) from the airport on Friday, Saturday will be an all-day crab feast with the family, and then Sunday is my going away party. So much to do, so little time!!
Going Away Party (20.August.2009)
My party was on September 9th, and it was a blast! Thank you to everyone who came!! I was very happy to see all of you again, and hopefully we can get together sometime in the next two weeks!
Since I didn't bring my own camera, I don't have very many pictures from that day... But I'm going to go steal my Mom's camera later and upload pictures from that, so hopefully I'll have enough to make an album on here For now, I'll just put up this picture: It is the majority of people who came... Some left before the picture, and some arrived after it was taken, but this is the general group of people who were there. Again, guys, thanks so much for coming!!!
**EDIT** Its been brought to my attention that I got the date of my party wrong... SORRY! My party was on AUGUST 9th, not September. Silly me. I leave on September 8th... So I guess I'm subconsciously focused on that right now.
Goodbye, California! (06.September.2009)
I'm wrapping up my last weekend in California... It is very strange to think that tonight is the last night I'll be sleeping in my bed.
Since the party, I've been having a really great time doing touristy things with my German friends... We went to Disneyland, the Zoo, Seaworld, saw a baseball game, had beach bonfires, and did a lot of shopping! I hadn't been able to spend much time cleaning and organizing my room, but my AMAZING Uncle E and Aunt T came down yesterday to go hiking, and afterwards helped me out a whole lot in my room! We only worked in there for an hour, but we finished packing up everything that is going to my parent's house! Now all I need to do is pack up my carry-on!
Last night, Michele and I hosted our final Sister's Night for the year. It was, of course, and excellent evening.
Today I'm spending time with some friends before doing the final cleaning of my room and bathroom, and then tomorrow I'm taking all my stuff over to my parent's house to find somewhere to put it for the next year. Then, my family and I will enjoy a relaxing day by the pool!!
My flight leaves at 11 am the next day (which will be Tuesday the 8th)!! Thanks for keeping up with me and my last couple of months here ... I hope to make my Germany updates much more regularly than the have been, so I'll thank you in advance for taking the time to keep up with all my German activities!!
Gefrees, Germany (09.September.2009)
Well, after a stressful morning in California, I finally made it to the airport and arrived safely in Germany a couple of hours ago. I just got to Richy's house in Gefrees, and after a quick shower I'm going to lay down for an hour or so before going out to dinner with some friends. But now, I'll let you know about my adventure yesterday morning:
First of all, Monday night I had a HORRIBLE night's sleep. I slept downstairs on the couch, and the puppy kept making noises until finally around 2:30 he settled down and we both fell asleep. Then, at 4, he started whining again and freaking out, so I took him out and he had a big poop... Poor puppy!! He fell right back asleep after that, but I, of course, did not. I finally got up around 5:30 to finish packing up my suitcase, and Mom, Dad, and I were ready to hit the road at 6:45... Or so we thought.
We weighed my suitcase and discovered it was 20 pounds over the limit that Lufthansa has for a single piece of luggage, so Dad spent some time digging around trying to find a second suitcase for me, but we ended up giving up and deciding to just pay the overwieght fee at check-in (a very painful $150 fee!). After that, Papa left to take back the rental car he and Mom had used for the weekend, and Mom and I were getting ready to meet him at Hertz when we realized that my car was blocking the one we wanted to drive. So I went inside, grabbed my keys, and started up my car to move it... Not. My car wouldn't start. Every time I tried to turn it over, it made a horrible clicking sound like the battery had died. I put it in to neutral and started coasting down the driveway so we could at least get it out of the way of the car we wanted to drive, when Mom discovered that the battery in that car was also dead. How ironic. So, we went to the third car that was available to us and, lo and behold, it also did not turn over. Three dead cars, and a bit of a time crunch. I called Dad and had him turn around, and we ended up taking their rental car to LAX. Then, on the way to the airport, I tried calling Lufhansa, United, and the company I booked my flight with to figure out what terminal we should go to since it was a Lufthansa flight, but operated by United. United Airlines had no record of my existence, which put me in to a paniced rush to confirm with Lufthansa and the booking agent that I actually had a seat on the plane. They both said I did, but could not give me the information I needed to confirm my spot with United, so the rest of the way there I was stressing out about having to buy a new ticket. On top of that, I discovered through Lufthansa that my flight time had been changed from 11am to 10:40am and no one told me about it, so with the half hour delay in the morning and the 20 minute alteration, I was very quickly running out of time. Luckily, we made it to the airport one hour before take off, and there were hardly any lines checking in and going through security. The rest of the day, while physically cramped (why do airlines have to make the seats so small?!?), went very well. I landed in Chicago at 4:30, enjoyed my 2 hour layover, and had an empty seat next to me during the flight to Frankfurt. I didn't get to sleep much on either plane ride, but I hope in the end that'll help me avoid jet lag.
Now, however, I am going to try and take a quick nap... I just wanted to update everyone on my oh-so-awesome travel adventure, and to let you all know that I am safe and sound in BEAUTIFUL southern Germany!!
First Impressions (14.September.2009)
First of all, let me just say that you know you're in Germany when the leftover food is put in the hallway instead of in the refridgerator (this can also be cross-referenced with the "You know you're in trouble when..." category).
So, yesterday was my first day with my host family. They're all really great.... Patient, helpful, and kind. The 7 year old and I bonded over Shakira because, let's face it, who doesn't love Shakira? Marten, the 5 year old, decided to steal one of my favorite scarves. Today, I went to the Goethe Institute and tested so I could get a certificate that shows I can read, listen to, write, and speak German. I kind well on it... Well enough to pass, anyway For the listening, I got 22/25. For reading and speaking 21/25, and for writing I only got 20/25... But I don't think I'll be writing very many complete sentences while on the job, so alles Klar. After I was finished with the test, Michael presented me with several Goethe-Institute-bought presents, including a "verb wheel" to help me conjugate popular verbs, a journal, a keycahin, a pin, and a wicked-awesome lime green umbrella which is a German Necessity. He's going to be a really great host father
After that, he dropped me off at the house and went to work for a little bit. Maren (host mother) took me and the kids out to the forest for a little hike. The forest is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! Even in all of its beauty, I couldn't get over how cold it was. September in Germany is colder than January in California. And I knew that going in to it, but physically being here is a huge shock. Everyone keeps telling me that it is colder than usual for this time of the year, but that is less comforting more "oh god, what is it going to be like in December?".
Jetzt, ich muß ins Bett gehen... Now I must go to bed. But hopefully I can figure out how to get the wireless internet going to upload those pictures and videos that I promised!!
Time for an Update! (23.September.2009)
So, Merit (the daughter) has been home from school with a bad headache last week and so far this week, which means I haven't had much time to give a little update... Not much alone time! But a lot of you have been keeping up to date with facebook, so a new blog wasn't exactly necessary.
The family has been really great... The kids and I get in to a couple of little tiffs here and there when they don't want to do what they are supposed to, but we haven't had any major problems. The city is kind of perfect; its small and comfortable, yet has a lot of restaurants and shopping no more than a 10 minute walk from the house. I've gone walking in the forest several times, and it just amazes me how gorgeous it is. I have to take my camera next time I go, and also next time I walk around the city... I haven't been taking very many pictures since I got here! But when I do walk around, people who I haven't even met yet seem to know who I am, though, because those who can speak to me in English, and those who can't ask if I understand German before I even say "Hallo" to them... Living in a small town kinda feels like getting stalked... Haha!
This morning, I did a little web surfing and found a site that streams episodes of So You Think You Can Dance... So all those who were worried about me missing out on this season, fret no longer! I've only watched the first episode, but I will be caught up soon! No worries! Haha
And in case you haven't heard, my dog isn't doing very well... He's been very sick for the last couple of weeks, and my parents are concerned that he won't be able to make it until April when I come home again... So please keep him in your thoughts, and I'll let you all know what happens, good or bad.
Love on the Rocks - Sara Bareilles (30.September.2009)
Since I'm not the greatest with creative blog titles, I'm going to start writing the title as the name of the song that I'm currently listening to
This morning, I walked down to the City Center and took some pictures along the way. They have been uploaded to the Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure! And now, for a little update about the family:
Merit is no longer in the hospital... She spent about 4 days there, and I still don't know why. It started with a headache, but 4 days and 5 nights in a hospital seems a bit extreme for that. She seems perfectly healthy to me... And she went back to school on Monday, so I guess everything is fine!
Marten is finally starting to get used to the idea of having me around. He didn't want to play with me or let me walk him to school... Every morning he and his mom had an argument about it. But now it is normal for him, and we are starting to get along! He's still bossy, which doesn't fly with me. I tell him to be nicer to me because we are friends, and we're working on it!!
Micheal and Maren are great host parents... I spend most of my days with Maren while Micheal works, and she and I are communicating pretty well. And when I don't know what she's saying, we pull out the dictionary and look it up! Haha... My German course started this week, so the language barrier will only continue to get smaller and smaller.
I, of course, still don't know why I do half the things I do, though. Like, for instance, this morning I went to the City Center to get my picture taken. Why? I have no idea. But I did it. And now I have 4 copies of a very bad picture of me from my shoulders up. It looks like a passport picture... Hmm...
The weather is getting cooler, and the seasons are definitely changing. While the mornings are sunny, by 11am the clouds roll in and the rest of the day is overcast. It is regularly around 14° C (60° F), but it is humid enough to keep the chill away. It feels as though it is around 70° F. I have to start looking for long underwear, though. And gloves.
Kristina is coming to visit!! It is supposedly for her birthday, but since I'm making her do all the work that just doesn't seem like a good birthday present... Haha She's going to fly in on November 5th, spend the 6th and the 7th in Northeim, and then she and I will take the train to the airport, spend the night in the city, and then she flies back home on the 8th. We are still working out details, but it is definitely going to happen Provided she and I can find a sweatshirt or winter jacket for her, anyway... Haha.
I have a Rexy update, but it is not a happy one. After going to the vet again, he was put on steroids to increase his appetite, but it had no positive effect. And his blood work started to show signs of infection, so my parents, Tess, and the vet all agreed there was nothing more that we could do for him. Before that final vet visit, I didn't want to put him down just yet... But afterwards, it gave me the peace of mind to know that we had done everything that we could have done. He just wasn't going to get better, so on September 25th, they put him to sleep. These last couple of days have been rough for all of us, but we know that we made the right decision. And I'm very thankful to my parents for bringing him in to the vet to see if there was anything else that could have been done... Without that, I think it would have taken me a very long time to move on from his death. But, even though I think about him constantly and cry nearly every time I'm alone, I know that'll only last for a little while. He's with Grandma Lou now And I'll see both of them soon! (But not too soon!!!!) Thank you all for your positive thoughts! My baby knew he was loved
Oil and Water - Incubus (16.October.2009)
So, last night I typed out this blog entry, but for some reason it didn't post... And now I have to try to remember what I talked about before. Hahaha
Last weekend, we visited Maren's parents in Halberstadt. It is a really cute little town about an hour north of here... It borders the Harz forest and has a lot of history to it. Most of the old city wall is still standing! We were there from Thursday October 7th to Monday October 11th, and I posted the pictures from the trip last night. It was a lot of fun But her parents live in a 2 bedroom house, so Maren put me up in a hotel... So that was kind of strange, but it was also nice to have quiet mornings
I've been going hiking with this group of people who meets up every Wednesday... The first time I went, it was only two other ladies and they are both over 60, so I wasn't all that enthusiastic about going again. But I did, because I like hiking in the forests here a lot, and the next time more people came! They are all older than me, by a lot, but that doesn't really matter... What matters is that it is fun, pretty, and another opportunity for me to meet people and expand my communication skills!
Today its really rainy, so I'm taking the kids to this place called Kinder Stadt (Kid City)... I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm assuming it is some sort of indoor playground. Like Chuck E Cheese or something. So we'll see how that goes... Haha!
Tomorrow is Merit's 8th birthday and she's having a pajama party with 6 or so of her friends... So I'm definitely going to lock myself up in my room. I'm sure they're going to be INSANE. It'll make for an interesting night!
These last two weeks the kids have had a break from school, but they start up again on Monday. So the days will slow down again, and we'll work back into our routine, and hopefully I'll have more time to work on the website But thanks for stopping by and checking up on me!!!
Dancing Queen - ABBA (11.November.2009)
So, the weekend of Kristina's visit just passed! We had a lot of fun sight-seeing and goofing around. Those of you with FaceBook, have already seen the pictures... But I'll be uploading some onto here in the next day or so, along with a new video!
My host family is doing great. As always, my language is improving along with my relationship with the kids. I bought them some souveniors from one of the day trips that Kristina and I made, and they seemed to really appreciate it. Merit (the girl) also made Kristina a card and gave her a birthday present the first night she got here! Sometimes those devils can be awfully sweet
On Saturday we went to Goslar, which is a lovely town with a lot of history. We spent most of our time in the Kaiserpfalz, which has been the home to several Kaisers. We walked around the inner city a little bit, and had a lovely authentic German lunch, and then had to skedaddle out of there because the parking meter was running out of time. We made it back to Northeim in time to have an hour-long Skype session with the family in CA, and then my host parents left for the evening so we put the kids to bed, which was much less difficult than the first time I did it alone. Thank goodness.
On Sunday, we wandered around the forest, and then spent the morning in Norten Hardenburg, playing around in 1,000 year old castle ruins. We had another great lunch, and then went to a little park that had lots of pretty fall colors in it. Then we drove to Einbeck, which is famous for its beer and beautiful buildings. By the time we got there, however, it was too dark to really see the beautiful buildings, and the brewery was closed. So we drank some yummy hot chocolate and had some weird ice cream, and then went home.
Monday was the day that Kristina had to fly back to Palma, so we got up early so she could pack and then took off. We got there around an hour before take-off, and Kristina had her first German pretzel! But it was kinda crappy, since it came from an airport cafe and all. So, next time we have to go to a bakery and find a real one! Haha
I found out last night why Halloween isn't a big holiday here... Two weeks later, the kids walk around singing songs and recieve bucket loads of candy from the neighbors. Its more of a religious celebration, and seems to be a popular tradition, since I got stuck walking around with 8 of the kids from the neighborhood. Their moms decided they'd be happier sitting at home drinking tea than walking around in the 4°C and rainy weather with their kids... Who can blame 'em?
Today is Wednesday, which means I get to meet up with my hiking group! It should be fun, as it always is!! I just found out that I'm free the weekend on November 13th, so maybe I'll make a little Friday the 13th Adventure out of it! We'll see!!
Homesick - Train (15.November.2009)
So... As much as I miss everyone, I still have yet to feel very homesick. The only rough patch was with Rexy, but I would have been upset no matter what country I'm living in. I don't know if it is a matter of maturity, independence, or just a lack of emotions, but I honestly haven't felt homesick.
I did, however, have an "oh-crap-what-did-I-get-myself-into?" moment when I first got in the car exactly 2 months and 1 day ago. Everyone started immediately trying to carry on conversations with me in German, and for a split second I thought I had made a terrible mistake. But everything has been going so smoothly since then, its just amazing living here!
This student exchange girl, Lisa, and I went to Göttingen this weekend. My host family was out of town, so we spent the entire Saturday walking around this French market that was set up in the innercity. The weather was nice, and we had an enjoyable time. We decided to check out the movie theater, to see if there were any English films playing, so we headed towards to train station because that is the most direct route to the movie theater. As we got closer, we noticed a strange amount of police cars in town, but didn't think very much of it. The closer and closer we got, the more we came across though, and it started to feel very wrong. Turns out, they all were centered at the train station. At least 30 vans were there, and well over 100 police officers. But it didn't seem to be a big deal... Everyone was just walking around like nothing was going on. So I decided it must have been some sort of training exercise or something, because they weren't blocking off the train station at all, just hanging out there. We continued on our way only to find no English films at the theater, so we walked back through the police crowd and back into the innercity. There was a large commotion in the center, so we wandered in that direction and discovered many more police officers, all decked out in SWAT gear and with masks over their mouths. There was some sort of protest going on, but we couldn't figure out at all what it was about... So strange. Lisa started taking pictures, and I pulled out my video camera... I got some of the protest on film. Then we moved to a different spot to see if we could read their signs, trying to figure out with certainty what the protest was about, but never could really figure it out. We both pulled out our cameras again, and this old lady shoved her hand in front of my video camera saying she didn't want to be filmed. I told her several times I wasn't filming her and she wasn't in my view, but she kept her hand on my lens until I had put my video camera back in my purse. Lisa and I left then, and as I left I heard the guy who was standing behind me start up an argument with that lady about how I could take pictures of whatever I wanted... I'm just glad we left then before it got into a big fight. Haha We found a group of people speaking English, and I overheard one of the people talking about how the protesting group were fed up with the economy or something. I'm going to upload the videos tonight.
Christmas Time! (28.November.2009)
Thanksgiving has come and gone... I made a little meal of roasted turkey, gravy, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and rice for my host family. They invited Michael's dad over, and the three adults all really appreciated the meal. The two kids, however, did not. Haha They are pretty good eaters, but not when it comes to something they've never seen before. And I was the only one who had a second helping of rice, so I'm not sure if I'll be making the next batch for Christmas. We'll see what happens! Since Thanksgiving is non-exsistant in Germany and Halloween is only lightly celebrated, the entire time I've been here everyone has been focused on Christmas. And with the upcoming First Advent, its even crazier now that it was before. The Advents celebrate the preparation days, the countdown that we in the States love so much. But here, it is totally different. The kids get an actual present every day before Christmas instead of a little piece of chocolate. And the weekend of the First Advent, which is this Sunday, all the Weihnachtsmarkt open all over Germany (Christmas markets). So in every city from now until after Christmas, the entire center sqaure is decked out in lights and decorations, food stands, and gift kiosks. Its insanity. Its like Black Friday every day, shopping wise. Today, the family and I drove into Göttingen to go the Weihnachtsmarkt there, and it basically consisted of Michael entertaining the kids while Maren and I shopped. Which means I got to carry around her $500 worth of merchandise for two hours. It was very exciting.
The weather is turning winter-like. It is cloudy nearly every day, and hardly ever over 9 Grad. My friend, Lisa, is keeping track of how many days it rains. So far in November, it hasn't rained for 3 days. I love it! But everyone else seems to hate it, so I pretend to hate it, too. Hahaha I really don't understand what is wrong with a little bit of rain. And so far I seem to handle the cold much better than my host parents do... But it isn't even December yet, so that might change. Haha!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and that the upcoming holidays are wonderful! I'll take my camera next time we go to the Weihnachtsmarkt, and hopefully will be able to upload some more pictures and videos soon. Love you all!
Happy 2010! (09.January.2010)
Oh my gosh, did this last month fly by! I can't believe my last blog was in November! I suppose I've been updating more on my facebook, and unfortunatley leaving this website behind. I'm sorry! Not many eventful things have happened in the last month, though I do I have another good goose fat story! As well as my first experience on a ski lift, cross-country skiing (on different days!), and a new roommate!
So, the goose fat story I've already posted on facebook... I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote over there on to here:
Goose is delicious. Along with duck, it is one of the more traditional Christmas dinners here in Germany. On the eve of Christmas Eve, some family friends came over for a pre-Christmas dinner, since my family will be busy the rest of the days this week. And we had goose. Mmmmm!! The evening was a success, the goose was (of course) delicious,and Maren had two huge bowls of goose fat set aside on the kitchen counter for later use. Which, to be honest, totally creeps me out. I still can't get over the eating of straight-up animal fat.
Marten is a very grabby 5 year old boy. If he sees something he wants, he dives at it with lightening-speed hands and you literally have to pin him down and pry his hands open to get it back. I have had to do this several times with candy bars.
The day after the goose dinner, we were going to have another big diinner, so Maren made a light lunch so we would all still have our appetites later. Included in this lunch were strawberries, the favorite fruit for both Marten and Merit. After lunch, Marten wanted more strawberries, but they had already eaten all of them and his mom told him so. He, of course, didn't believe her and went throughout the entire kitchen looking for them. There weren't any in the fruit bowl or in the refidgerator... And then he saw the two bowls of goose fat sitting on the counter. The bowls were just barely above his eye line, so he couldn't see what was inside them, but judging by the look on his face he thought for sure there were more strawberries in them. So, with his lightning fast hands, he reached out and grabbed one of the bowls ,pulling it quickly into his chest. Were there strawberries inside, this might not have been a big deal. But since the not-yet-solidified goose fat occupied the bowls, it was a big deal. The goose fat started sloshing around as soon as he grabbed the bowl, and in the second that it took him to get it off the shelf and into his arms, the entire bow lhad emptied onto the counter, onto the floor, and (most awesomely) onto Marten's hands, chest, legs, and FACE. Oh dear lord, if his mom and sister weren't in the kitchen I would have died laughing. But then I had to mop the entire kitchen to clean up his mess, and it wasn't so funny anymore.
Oh man. That was a good day
The weekend before that little goosey adventure, I visited Richy and his family in Gefrees. It was a beautiful and relaxing weekend, and I got to experience my first (and, quite possibly, last) ride on a ski-lift. I am just not comfortable enough with heights to simply enjoy the ride! Man oh man... The entire time, I refused to move so much as my big toe. But it was so gorgeous up there; I think if it weren't for the scenery I probably would have been near tears the whole time! Hahaha! I took some pictures of the beautiful landscape at the top of the 1,024m mountain... The trees were completely covered in snow and ice! And boy, was it cold! Haha! Richy, his mom, and I also went by the world-famous Nürnberg Christmas market, which of course was a blast! I bought some little presents for the kids, Richy's very thoughtful mother bought me a wonderful pyramid, and I picked up Uncle Stan's requested Germany item :P
Two weeks ago, Michael and I took the kids into the Harz for some snow sports! He took Marten sledding and I attempted to go cross-country skiing with Merit. Of course, it was my first time, and I had a lot of difficulty with it. (I think I feel down about 5 times, and each time I landed on the same exact spot on my knee, so I had a lovely black bruise that stayed with me for a week afterwards.) At one point, I fell down, and Merit didn't noticed so she kept on walking (? skiing?), and two guys had to help me up. Initially, they were just standing off to the side and telling me how to get back on me feet, but after several attempts they came over and literally had to help me. One held onto my arm to balance me, and the other grabbed my leg, lifted it higher than I thought it could go, and twisted it so I could swing my ski around to where it was supposed to be. It was slightly embarrassing. I thanked them for their help and told them it was my first time, and one of them muttered "obviously" and they walked away. Hahaha!
Since then, we've had a lot of snow here in Northeim. It is so wonderful! Aside from being cold, I absolutely love being outside And Tiia (the aupair that the Breckles had before me) has been visiting, so we've gone out with the kids a couple of times for sledding and to build igloos, which Marten immediately tears down. We've been sharing my room, which sometimes can be a little tricky, but its been great! Its really nice having someone close to my age around, and especially someone who knows my family so well. One of her first nights here, we went out to dinner and talked the whole time about the kids and the family; things we love, things we hate, things that confuse us, and so on. Its awesome! And its really made me more confident with my German, which is always a plus! She speaks English very well, but is more comfortable speaking German, so unless we're hanging out with my friends, Tiia and I always speak German together. Awesome! But she goes home on Tuesday It will be nice to have my bed to myself again, though. Haha!
Thank you everyone who sent me the wonderful Christmas cards! They arrived shortly after the holidays, but totally brigthened my day!!! I love you all, and I hope everyone is doing well!! In a couple of days, it'll be my 4 month anniversary!! My longest relationship ever! :P
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