This was my first Christmas away from my home and family and that was definitely hard for me at times, but I think I handled it really well and ended up having a pretty good holiday. I was fairly busy during this time, so I’m going to structure this blog a little differently and just talk about Monday-Thursday as a whole instead of four separate days. In Germany the technical “Christmas Celebration” time lasts from the 24th-26th and I really enjoyed that because it feels like the part never stops! We went to a different type of concert each day. The first was on Christmas Eve, we went down the street from Oma Inga and Opa Günther’s house where about 15 people from the street (including my host parents and Oma Inga) all played music in the street. Even though it was raining, their spirits weren’t dampened. We ate cookies and drank Kinderpunsch afterwards and it was delicious. The second concert we went to was on Christmas Day. It was at the city hall in Schweinfurt, Germany and the band played traditional Christmas music from America, as well as some other music from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. They had a singer as well to accompany the band and she had a very nice voice. The third concert we went to was on the evening of the 26th at the church in Grafenrheinfeld (which is a smaller village outside of Schweinfurt where Oma Edith and Opa Kalli live). At this concert they played a huge variety from Christmas music to Harry Potter and the music was really enjoyable! Afterwards, we drank kinderpunsch again!

In addition to a concert each day, we also ate a huge meal together each day. On Christmas Eve, we went to Oma Inga’s sister, Beate’s, house. We ate a huge home-cooked dinner with delicious food and of course, the meal was finished with delicious dessert (my favorite part of any meal). This was the night that “Christ-kind” came and brought presents to all of the people. Here is a link to some more information about the Christkind: https://www.katholisch.de/artikel/15915-die-geschichte-vom-christkind Christkind brought for me a very cute scarf (actually from Oma Inga), a box of chocolate (actually from Aunt Beate), and a food tour in Bamberg (actually from my host parents). On Christmas Day, we ate a very big lunch at Oma Inga’s house. Oma Edith and Opa Kalli also came over so there were very many of us. On the 26th of December we had a very huge fondue lunch at Oma Edith and Opa Kalli’s house. At that lunch, I ate a Brussel sprout and almost threw up at the table. Those things don’t taste good, but I managed to get the nasty taste away with some more delicious dessert!

Here are some notable things that happened during the week: my host dad and I went with the kids to a labyrinth and we had a lot of fun there. We played in the hay and it was obvious that the boy’s really had a great amount of fun. As we tried to leave, our big Ford bus got stuck in the mud! The tires were spinning and no matter what we tried, we couldn’t get free. Thankfully, a man came and towed us out. On Christmas Day, I stayed up late with my host parents and Oma Edith and Opa Kalli playing games. It was so much fun! We played skipbo and also a game called Qwirkle that comes from Canada. Oma Edith and Opa Kalli always do the best job of making me feel like I’m part of the family and I am very grateful for them. On Thursday, I was babysitting the boys and the younger one was crying and screaming for his mom while both other kids were trying to sleep and so I picked him up and put him in the bathroom so he wouldn’t disturb the other two. This is the conversation we had: “My mom should come home!” “No, she’s not coming home.” “Call her right now!” “No I’m not going to.” “Go away from me!” “No.” “Go…back…to…America!!!” I just laughed when he said that because it was very funny.

And that was my Christmas time. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… and now I’m on holiday in Düsseldorf, so I am a very happy girl!

27 December: I woke up at 8:30 in the morning at Oma Edith and Opa Kalli’s house and repacked all of my things. Then, my host mom drove me to the main train station in Schweinfurt where I was picked up by the flixbus. The flixbus ride from Schweinfurt to Düsseldorf lasted 6 hours, but it wasn’t so bad. I got randomly assigned the seat in the very first row of the bus, so I had a very panoramic view. I slept for some of the ride and I also talked to a girl who said I speak very good German. I arrived in Düsseldorf at 4:00 PM and Malte and his mother picked me up from the bus station. It was so nice to see them again since I was only able to see them for one day in September. I got to see the house where Malte grew up and still lives and we ate a snack and drank some delicious apple juice. We watched some Modern Family and just talked and when Malte’s dad arrived home, we drove to the city for dinner. I got to see the outside of the Christmas Market and some more of the beautiful qualities Düsseldorf has to offer. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant and I had an amazing cheese pizza of course and we also ate tiramisu for dessert! It was so delicious! When we got home, we watched a movie and then went to bed. This was a great day!

28 December: I woke up and ate breakfast with Malte and his mom, Kerstin. Then, Kerstin and I took the bus and the U-Bahn to the central part of the city. We went shopping and looked at all the expensive stores. Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, all the of the places I will only afford when I am an independent billionaire business woman. My millionaire husband will not support my shopping addiction, but it won’t matter because I will make more money than him anyways and will not be controlled by a man who is only making millions. After a while, Malte also met us in the city and we all went together to a Lebanese döner place. I had my typical falafel sandwich without salad because sometimes it’s nice to have a break from the healthy stuff and it tasted really yummy that way! We ate and walked along the Rhein river to the “Rheinturm” which is the beautiful TV tower in Düsseldorf. We went up to the top and enjoyed hot chocolate and the gorgeous view! We were really lucky to have beautiful weather with a shining sun, so the view was even more picturesque. After the tower, they showed me the harbor and we took some pictures. Then, we went to the movie theater with their family friends and we saw Star Wars. It was completely in German and I have only seen one other Star Wars movie, so it was a little difficult for me to follow, but the 3D was so awesome it didn’t even matter. For dinner, we ate together at an upscale Italian restaurant and the food was delectable. I had cheese pizza (of course) and for dessert, more delicious tiramisu. Then afterwards, Malte and I went to his friends house for an hour and two. I had a really nice time and a really great day!

Today we are going to Brussels, and I am so excited to go to my 10th country!

16 December: I woke up at about 9:30 and I went upstairs and spent about 3 hours ironing my host families clothes. I listened to Christmas music and I also got to talk to my host mom a little bit so I didn’t think the ironing was so bad. Plus, it was better than just sitting in my room all morning, right? After this, I talked with my host kids for a while about their days at kindergarten and I hope they enjoyed that at least a little. At 1:30, I rode my bike to the train station and accidentally arrived so early, so I walked around the station for about an hour and then at 2:45 I met my culture class teacher and many of my friends and we all took the train together to Nuremberg. I sat with my Italian friend, Mara, and my German teacher so we had to speak the entire ride in German which was a little difficult, but I’m glad I got so much practice speaking German especially with my teacher who corrects all of my mistakes. When we arrived in Nuremberg we took a short tour through the city which included looking in one of the two main churches in Nuremberg as well as learning about some of the connections between Nuremberg and Bamberg. Most importantly, we ended the tour by exploring the Nuremberg Christmas Market. It was more beautiful than I could have dreamed! It was about double the size of the market in Bamberg and had so many interesting stands and beautiful Christmas things. There’s also a smaller market called the “partner city market” and there was a stand there from Atlanta, Georgia. They had pop tarts, Reese’s chocolate, ornaments and many figures with the Coca-Cola polar bear. I spent most of the time with one of my new friends from Ireland and I enjoyed spending time with her and talking with her as well. We ate baguettes, drank glühwein, and also got some yummy french fries. We wanted to take the train at 7:10 and we ended up getting lost and had to run so quickly to make the train on time. It was like a movie; two girls running through the train station. We ended up making it in the last few seconds of 7:09 and right as we stepped on the train, it took off. I was amazed that we made it on time. The train ride back was relaxing, I fell asleep which I needed after all the running. When we arrived back in Bamberg, I rode my bike to my university building for my English speaking theater group. We worked a lot on my big scene and I am so happy that I am having so much fun in this group and getting along so well with my fellow cast members. After rehearsal, we went to Café Müller for hot chocolate and we stayed there for about an hour and a half and just talked which I really enjoyed. Afterwards, I rode my bike home and fell asleep around 1 AM.

17 December: I woke up at about 11 AM and went upstairs to do my laundry. The washing machine takes so long to wash my clothes, but it is better for the Earth, so I can’t really complain about the 3 hour per load wait-time. I took a shower and then I rode my bike to the fishing store to pick up a package that my dad had sent me for Christmas. Of all the places I envisioned myself going while living in Germany, a fishing shop wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t so obscure, but just very random. Afterwards, I rode my bike back home and I went upstairs and spent about an hour talking to Oma Inga and Opa Günther. Opa Günther and I talked a lot over the weather and traffic, I was impressed by how long the conversations over these topics lasted. At 3, I took out the trash while Oma Inga picked up the older boy from kindergarten. When they got back, we all played together for a while and then my host mom went with the younger boy and the baby to the children’s gymnastics class and I spent 2 hours reading to the older boy. I don’t know where he gets this amazing attention span from, but I love it. It is so nice for me to just read and read and read all evening. This was also a very special day because it was “döner Dienstag”. My host dad brought home falafel döner for all of us and it is always so delicious. It was really spicy this day so I was almost crying while eating it, but it didn’t lose its taste. After dinner, I was off and I went downstairs and hung up my laundry to dry and also FaceTimed with Sydney and Harper. I don’t even know why or how but I managed to stay awake until midnight doing absolutely nothing.

18 December: I woke up early and rode my bike to my free speech and creative writing class. I had a good time here because we did a reflection on 2019 and wrote our resolutions for 2020. Then, we were randomly selected partners and we had to share our goals for 2020 with them. We also had to talk about how we think 2020 will be for ourselves, our own country, and the entire world. I said that I have hope for all three and wrote down some ideas that I had to help ensure a positive year. The last thing we did was write wishes for our partner in the next new year and that was really cute. I thought that was a great lesson plan from my professor and I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, I rode my bike to my completely in German lecture and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I definitely fell asleep, but I really couldn’t help myself! It was early and I didn’t understand it all and that’s just the way it is sometimes. After the lecture, I had my culture class. This day we met at a location outside of the classroom and my professor took us on a tour of the city. He took us to a few churches as well as one of the best views of the Bamberg cathedral that our city has to offer. One very interesting place we went to was a street between the Catholic and Protestant church called “Hölle” which in German means Hell. After the tour, a few of us stayed at the Christmas market and I got to talk with my teacher and my friend from Lithuania. After this, I rode my bike back home and had about 20 minutes of time, then I picked the older boy up from kindergarten and we read a few stories and when he went to his music class, I stayed at home and played with the younger boy. I always enjoy the one on one time we get together because they are always so much more enjoyable then. When the older boy got home, we read some more stories and then I rode my bike to my choir rehearsal. I didn’t feel very tired so I was able to concentrate and not start to fall asleep. We sang through our entire piece and I think we sound very nice together! It is a very fun piece of music to sing. After choir, I went to a bar called Freiraum with a friend and we played Nintendo 64 and Fußball and just had a good time. There are many cool bars in Bamberg. I rode my bike in the cold and then I went to bed at about 1 AM.

19 December: I overslept a little (probably due to going to sleep at 1 AM), but I still rode my bike to my language class and arrived only a few minutes late. We talked about grammar for a little while, but then changed the subject to Christmas which I really enjoyed. We watched a video called “Willy Will Wissen” which means “Willy wants to know” and basically he went to a bunch of Christmas related places like the Christmas market and the Lebkuchen factory and just gave us random facts. I enjoyed watching it actually. Also, my teacher bought Lebkuchen for all of us and I thought that was so nice because we are probably the least enjoyable class in the world to teach. After class, I rode to my American studies class, where this teacher was also passing out Lebkuchen! She told us to eat as many as we wanted and that was an offer I couldn’t refuse. We talked more about westward expansion which was boring, but okay because of the Lebkuchen and because of my four friends in the class. We said Merry Christmas when we said goodbye and wished each other a happy new year. Then, I rode my bike so fast home and ate lunch with my host mom and kids. We had tortellini and it tasted delicious! I read to the older boy while the younger boy took his nap and after the nap it was time for my host mom’s music class. We had eight kids come over and they were significantly better behaved than the previous week which I think my host mom was very thankful for. After the music class, I played upstairs in the attic with all of the kids and that was a little difficult for me because they kept yelling at me and pushing me and hitting me and one of them made me drink salt water. I know they didn’t really respect me because they didn’t listen to anything I said. Thankfully, the older boy was my buddy and asked them to stop treating me like that. My host mom also said next time the other parents will say something to the kids so they behave nicer. Afterwards, we ate dinner and I stayed up and waited while my host mom put the boys to bed. Then we talked for a while and she said she could tell I was exhausted after the day and she was absolutely right! So I went to my room, watched Back to the Future 2 and called it a day.

20 December: I woke up at 7:30 and took a shower and then at 8:30 I took the older boy to kindergarten while my host mom went with the younger boy to the doctor and my host dad stayed at home with the baby. The older boy was very excited to go to kindergarten so it didn’t take very long to drop him off there. Afterwards, my host dad went to work and I stayed with the baby by myself. We played for about 30 minutes and then went on a walk around the lake and in the woods for 1 hour. She slept the whole time and when she woke up she didn’t even cry. By that time we only had about 35 minutes left until my host mom came home so we just played for a while and everything went extremely well. I was really satisfied with how the morning played out. When my host mom got home, I played with the younger boy while she went back to the kindergarten to do some work with the other parents on the kindergarten council. The younger boy and I played so nicely together and that made me extremely happy. At 1, I left and met my friend Vera at the Christmas Market for lunch, we ate Belgian french fries and I had hot chocolate and she had punch. I love the market so much and it was really great to spend time and talk to Vera. We also peeked inside h and m because we saw there was a sale but we restrained ourselves and didn’t spend any money. When I got back home, I packed for my trip that I would be leaving for on Saturday and also cleaned up my room a little. Then at 6, I went upstairs and ate dinner with the boys and I read to them and then brought them to bed so my host parents could go out for date night. The evening went really well and I actually ended up falling asleep on the couch, but I don’t think my host parents really minded. I was very tired after all!

21 December: I woke up at 8:30 and rode my bike to the city center and got coffee with two of my friends from theater group. One girl from Russia and one from Ukraine. I had a delicious Lebkuchen latte and we talked a lot about our Christmas traditions and learning languages and all kinds of interesting things. They are both so sweet and I had such a good time at the café with them. Immediately afterwards, I rode my bike to a place called “Seo!” which is a delicious Italian buffet and I met my au-pair friend, Jolene there. I ate so much pizza, so many french fries and so much ice cream. It was the best. My tummy was so happy with me. After lunch, I rode my bike to the mall and bought Christmas presents for my host kids. When I got home, I cleaned up my room entirely and finished all of my packing, so I was ready to be gone away for two weeks. At 3:15 we drove to Oma Inga and Opa Günther’s house and when we arrived there, we played for a little while and then went to a birthday party for my host mom’s cousin. We ate delicious food and I played with the boys for a while. I always like to stick with the kids at these events so I always have someone to talk to. We stayed at the party until 8:30 and then came home and all of the kids went to bed and I stayed up talking to Oma Inga. She gave me many cookies to eat because I think so wants me to be fat and I don’t really mind. I went to sleep knowing I had had a pretty good day.

Now it’s Sunday and I am excited for the weeks ahead. First, I will stay at Oma and Opa’s for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas (which is also still a holiday here in Germany), then on the 27th I will go by bus to Düsseldorf to spend time with Malte and his family and then on January 1st I will go by airplane to Copenhagen for 5 days! I’m glad this is how I’m ending 2020, continuing my amazing European adventure.

9 December: I slept in a little this day and woke up at around 10:30, then at 12:30 I rode my bike to Megan’s apartment and I had initially planned to just go there and pick up my notebook that I had left there, but I ended up staying there almost the entire day just hanging out with Megan, working on my theater group stuff and just chilling. Then, at 5:30 or so, Vera came over and the three of us baked a cake for our friend Phillip’s birthday. I think the three of us ate like half the mixture, but butter and sugar taste so good together! At 6:30 I met my friend Maximillian and we went to the Christmas market and ate Lángos which is a Hungarian dish and is basically funnel cake with pizza ingredients on top. We also got hot chocolate and Belgium fries, so my belly was full! Afterwards, I went to my theater group and it was my first rehearsal where I had my big role as “Mr. Collins” And I think I played him very well and I am very excited to bring the character to life. After theater group I went out with Maximillian, Vera, Megan, Phillip, and Jonas and we all went to a restaurant together and celebrated Phillips birthday and I really enjoy spending time with them.

10 December: I woke up and I rode my bike to the city center because I needed to buy a present for a giving tree event at my university, but I didn’t end up finding exactly what I wanted, so I rode my bike to the mall and there I found what I wanted. I don’t know if this is a thing in America, but I really like how in Germany, many stores have free wrapping paper for you to use to wrap the presents you’ve bought from their store. Also, this was a beautiful, sunny day, so I was very happy about that. After I was at the mall, I went home and watched a movie and worked on my german as well. Then at 2, I went upstairs and Oma Inga and Opa Günther were there, as well as both of the boys. The younger boy refused to take his nap, so he was very temperamental, but overall it was okay to play with him and it was also nice to talk to Oma Inga and Opa Günther. In the evening, the younger boy went to his gymnastics class and I stayed back with the older boy and we read and snuggled for about 2 hours and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes when I read for so long and am so cozy, I start to fall asleep, but the older boy doesn’t really mind. For dinner we ate bread and cheese and I was going to go to my friends house, but it was too cold for me to want to leave my house. So I watched Netflix and went to sleep at a decent hour.

11 December: I woke up on time and rode my bike to my creative writing and free speech class. I really like the friends I’ve made in there because there really only are four or five of us who are consistently there every week. Me, a girl from Russia, a guy from Czech Republic and a guy from Slovakia. I love when they pass around the attendance sheet and mine is perfect! I always find that class fun so even when I don’t want to wake up, I don’t regret waking up. On this day, I actually decided to go to my completely in german lecture that I’d been skipping, but when I went to the classroom I was so confused because I’m pretty sure it was over the same topic, but it was a different teacher! I just stayed in the class and hoped the teacher didn’t say or ask anything to me and thankfully, he didn’t. After the lecture, I went to the cafeteria and got a cappuccino to warm me up on this freezing day. My culture class was really fun and we are going to Nuremberg together on Monday to visit the huge Christmas market there, so I am very excited for that! I didn’t have to babysit this Wednesday so I was happy when one of my friends invited me to go out to lunch. He’s from Syria and taught me a lot about Syrian culture and traditions which was very interesting for me because I haven’t really had a lot of exposure to people from that part of the world. We ate falafel at the only Syrian falafel place in Bamberg and then went for tea and hot chocolate at one of my favorite cafes in the city. Afterwards, I did some window shopping and I just chilled for about an hour at the university until it was time for my choir rehearsal. Rehearsal was really nice and I have a friend who has curly hair like me and I love it. We speak german together which is really good practice for me and she’s one of my only friends who is the same age as me and not several years older than me and it’s good to have at least one of those. After choir, I rode my bike home in the snow! It was cold cold cold!!

12 December: I woke up and got ready and went to my grammar class. Sunrise is at 8:05 now, so it was pretty dark when I was riding my bike to class. It went better than it has in past weeks, but I still don’t necessarily love the class. After class, I rode quickly to my American Studies class and there were moments where I could hardly keep my eyes open because I was very tired. I do however really like my friends in that class. I have one friend who always wears American sports apparel and shows it to me which I think is funny. He said, “Avery, I have something to show you.” And then showed me his Chicago White Sox shirt to which I responded “Ew, the White Sox! You need a Kc Royals shirt.” We talked about Manifest Destiny this day and I was not entertained. After class, I rode quickly home and ate lunch with my host family. We had tortellini. The younger boy refused to take his nap this day, but his mom insisted we at least have a quiet hour, so I spent an hour reading to both the boys and it was really nice because we all just snuggled up and read some good books. At 3:30, 6 more kids came over for my host mom’s music class and ALL of them were either rowdy or had no desire to be there. I could tell my host mom was stressed and I myself was getting stressed just observing the class. After the class, we waited another 30 minutes for 3 of the girls’ grandma to pick them up and they were all saying “ugh when will Oma be here?” And to that I responded “I know! When do you think my grandma will be here?” and they said “You don’t have an grandma, you’re a grown up!” And I said “Yeah-huh I have two grandmas” and they just didn’t believe me! Once we finally left, we all ate dinner together as a family and then my host parents went out for date night and I put the boys to bed and it went really well. Nobody woke up, not even the baby, so I was satisfied with the evening.

13 December: I slept in a little on this snowy day and around 12:30 I took the bus to mall because I didn’t want to ride my bike in the snow. I ended up going to McDonald’s for lunch and working on some school stuff there for a few hours. I’m sure they know me by name there now, but it’s always good to have a place that feels just like home! After McDonald’s, I walked around in the mall for 10 minutes or so and then I walked to the bus stop to wait for the bus home. I ended up waiting for 30 minutes and my bus never came. So I walked a mile home which really wasn’t so bad. It had stopped snowing by the time I had to walk, so it really wasn’t so bad. When I got home, I went upstairs and the younger boy and I played together while the older boy was at his sport class. At first, the younger boy wanted to read and I was so excited because he usually isn’t as enthusiastic about reading as the older boy is. After we read for a while, we did some “cooking” in the play kitchen. When the older boy came back, we all played together until it was time for dinner. We ate some bread and cheese, played for a while, and then read for a while as well. At 7:30 I was free to go and I went downstairs, put on my Christmas sweater, and rode my bike to the city center to meet my friend Mark and a group of his friends at a bar called Fässla. Every year in Ireland, they participate in the “12 Pubs of Christmas” and they go to 12 pubs in one night and each pub has a different rule. The rules for the pubs that I went to were: switch shoes with someone, down a “rauchbier” (I didn’t do this one because I hate the taste of rauchbier which is basically beer that is smoked and tastes like meat), you can’t drink your own drink instead someone has to feed you it, you have to take a shot of baby Guinness (baileys and tia Maria), nobody is allowed to swear, and nobody is allowed to speak English. It was so much fun and I talked to so many people who I know of but who I haven’t had the chance to talk to yet. It was one of the most fun nights I’ve had.

14 December: I woke up at 7:30 AM and rode my bike home from my friend’s house. I had to work at 9 and I went upstairs and the younger boy was screaming and crying so I stayed at home with him while my host mom and the other two kids went to the bakery. He cried for about 10 minutes, but eventually he calmed down and we played with duplo blocks together. When the others came back home, we ate breakfast together and it was delicious as it always is on Saturday and Sunday’s. We played for a while after breakfast and then brushed our teeth and got completely ready for the day. It had been raining all morning, but at about 11 there was a break and we all went into the forest for a hike and it was so much fun! It gave me flashbacks of my time as a junior counselor at wilderness nature camp and I loved that so much. We found a really weird house with no windows, but with a bench outside and the boys also showed me where they had played when they had “forest week” in kindergarten. We stayed in the woods for about 2 hours and then we went home and just had a tiny lunch. The younger boy went down for his nap and I watched fireman Sam with the older boy and afterwards we played with Duplo for a while. Once my host dad came home, I was free from work so I went down to my room and did some last minute preparation for my English speaking theater group Christmas Party. I arrived early at the party, but I wasn’t the only one, so I talked to some friends for a little while. The party was so much fun! One of my favorite things is that I started a casual game of telephone around the table and we ended up sporadically playing telephone the entire night. I also introduced everybody to the game of White Elephant which nobody had ever played before, I was really happy to bring my tradition to them! The party lasted for 5 hours and we drank a lot of hot chocolate and laughed a lot and just enjoyed each other’s company which made me really happy and I was also so happy to have been the one to plan it for everyone. After the party, I went out with a few of the girls to a bar called “Catwheezle’s Castle” and it was a quaint, but really cool looking bar and everyone there was very nice. It was a really great opportunity for me to get to know some people in the group better.

Now it’s Sunday and I am going to Erlangen (a nearby city) with a huge group of international students to the Christmas Market and ice skating as well and I can’t wait! I will write about it in next week’s blog if I remember.

2 December: I woke up at 11 am and really just relaxed. I didn’t have anything specific to do, so I rode my bike to the city center and did some shopping and looked at all the Christmas things. Then, I tried to go to the library to work on some school work, but I didn’t know that you’re not allowed to bring your backpack into the library, so when I walked in, the man took a tone with me that made me want to cry. So I left and went to Dunkin Donuts instead. I stayed there for 3 hours and looked at some travel stuff and really just procrastinated my day away. Then, I went to the city market square and met 4 friends from my American Studies class and we all went to the Christmas Market together. It was so much fun talking with them and learning about their culture and Christmas traditions (they are 2 Italians and 2 Germans) and of course, the markets in Germany are amazing. After the market, I went to my English speaking theater group and as always it was so much fun! Right now I just have a tiny part with only 2 or 3 lines, but my directors said soon, I will get a really big part and I am so excited to see what they have in store for me! After our rehearsal, we went to a café and just talked and got hot chocolate. I’m really glad I’ve managed to integrate myself into the group so I actually feel like I am apart of it. When I arrived back to where my bike was parked, I found out somebody had stolen my bike helmet! I was so mad and scared of what I would tell my host parents. I decided not to worry about it too much and I watched a Christmas movie and then went to bed.

3 December: I slept in this day and really did nothing productive the entire morning. I watched a movie or two and just kind of dinked around until I went upstairs at 2 and I talked with my host mom for about an hour which was really good. It’s not very often that we have the chance to just talk without kids around so we could actually have a full uninterrupted conversation. I told her about my stolen bike helmet and thankfully she wasn’t mad at me, but rather at the person who stole it. Shortly after Oma Edith and Opa Kalli came over and they picked up the older boy from kindergarten. We had cake and coffee for my host mom’s birthday. We ate really delicious cheesecake. Then I went with the younger boy to his children’s gymnastics class. This was the first time we went together by ourselves and my first time pulling the trailer with my bike and both went really great! I think it’s always better when his mom isn’t there because I am the only person he has to entertain him, so we can actually be with each other. Sometimes it’s a little intimidating for me to be the only person speaking English surrounded by so many people speaking German. Especially around so many moms, so if my kid does something they don’t like, or if their kid does something I don’t like, we can’t really communicate that to each other. Also, sometimes the “coach” tries to talk to me as well and I get kind of flustered. It’s a slight stimulation overload for me. When the class was over, we were in the locker room area and the boy fell and he was crying so loud and everybody was staring at me and they were trying to help me and I was so embarrassed. One of the moms tried to help me but she spoke to me in English and I felt so stupid and helpless and embarrassed and that was kind of a weak moment. When he finally stopped crying though, all was well and we were able to ride home with no problems. We ate dinner together and then my host parents went out for my host mom’s birthday and I put the boys to bed. For some reason, they were so well behaved and they got ready for bed so quickly with no issues. I was really happy about that. I would classify this as a good day, of course. I stayed up until about 2 AM watching Christmas movies because I am in the holiday spirit.

4 December: I woke up early with practically no issues. I didn’t have to fight myself to wake up which isn’t always the case for me, as you have previously read. I rode my bike to my creative writing and free speech class and there were only 6 of us in our class that is supposed to have 20 or so. I really like my teacher and friends in that class, so it’s really enjoyable. After class, I talked to my friend Anna from Canada for a while and then I went to the library and worked on school work and did some planning. Then, I went to my Bamberg culture class and it was really nice. Of course, I love my teacher and talking to the other students in the class. We talked about German holidays and the religious separations in Germany which I found to be very interesting. After class, I rode my bike home and chilled in my room for a little while, then at 3 I picked up the older boy from kindergarten and when we got home I stayed and played with the younger boy while the older boy went to his music class. It was really cute because the younger boy wanted me to pretend to be a baby and to take care of me. So he fed me and gave me a bottle and put me to sleep, it was extremely cute! At 6 PM, I rode my bike back to the city for my choir rehearsal. I was so exhausted and could hardly keep my eyes open while we were singing. I don’t know why I was so exhausted, but that happens sometimes. I was really happy though because during the rehearsal, I got a text from the director of my English speaking theater group and I found out I will be playing Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice in the scene where he proposes to Elizabeth. I am so excited! At 9, I rode my bike home and just watched Netflix until I fell asleep.

5 December: I woke up early and I went to McDonalds and got a cappuccino and a chocolate muffin. I stayed there for about an hour or so and worked on my blog, of course. Then, I went to the grocery store and picked up some groceries. After that, I went back home because my American Studies class was online this day so I worked on that. Then at 12:30 I went upstairs and ate lunch with the kids and my host mom which was pleasant as always! Then I was able to spend time with the older boy while the younger boy napped. We watched little Einstein’s and listened to music. Then at 3:30 we had 6 other kids come over for my host mom’s music class. I took care of the baby for the duration of the class and it went really well! Then, after the music class, I played with all 8 of the kids in the attic area of our house (it’s not a creepy attic, it’s a guest bedroom). I was surprised how well the kids played together and how well they got along with me. It’s really enjoyable for me to hang out with younger kids because I can practice my German and not feel judged or nervous. They make fun of me a little bit, but it doesn’t bother me. After the kids went home, I rode my bike to the city center and walked around and looked at the Christmas lights and I got falafel for dinner. I also went to the library and just walked around and looked at the books. Sometimes I think I have too much free time. At 9, I went home and watched some Netflix. Also, this day I booked my first ever solo trip to Copenhagen!

6 December: I was able to sleep in for a little while and when I was up and ready, I went to the mall and looked around h and m and a few other stores. I also went to the American store and bought some Hershey chocolate for a white elephant gift exchange that would be happening at my best friends Christmas party that evening. Then I rode my bike to the city center and as I was walking down the street, I suddenly heard, “Avery? Avery?” And I turned around and it was one of my best friends, Vera! Bamberg is very small. We went shopping together because I had time and it was so much fun! I bought a Christmas sweater which I am very excited about. I left around 2 and went to the grocery store and bought some more groceries for the Christmas party. Then at 3:30 I babysat the boys and we played and read together and all was well. At 7:30 I left and I went to Megan’s apartment for our Christmas party it was so much fun! I am so thankful to have such a great group of friends! We ate gingerbread and drank glühwein and it was so nice.

7 December: I woke up at Megan’s apartment at 7 am and I rode my bike back home to my house. I took a quick power nap in my own bed and then I went upstairs at 9 and we all drove 45 minutes away to Oma Edith and Opa Kalli’s house. It was Opa Kalli’s birthday party and it was so much fun! We ate waffles for breakfast and they tasted really great. I also had a croissant and some baguette bread, so my tummy was very happy! I spent most of the time playing with the older boy but I really enjoyed it because we get along so nicely together. I never thought I could have such engaging conversation with a 4 year old even when he’s sitting on the toilet. At one point, Oma Edith wanted me to try her homemade liquor so her and I took shots of homemade liquor which is just a very funny image. It did taste very good and I am continuously amazed by how many things can be home made and taste great. I also told Opa Kalli about all the trips I have booked for 2020 and he had books over every single place I’m going and so he got those out for me and we talked about traveling and he also gave me a book of limericks to read because he thought that would be something I’d enjoy and I did! I really love how both sets of my host grandparents always make me feel like another family member and do all they can to ensure that I know I’m considered another family member. After we arrived home from Oma and Opa’s, I had a two hour chill time and I took a nice nap and at 6 I went back upstairs, set the table and we ate dinner together. Then, my host parents went out to a birthday party and I brought the boys to bed and there were hardly any issues, thankfully! The older boy is so cute because I just have to tell him that I will give a good review of him to his parents if he’s well behaved and he gets himself ready so quickly. It’s quite impressive. The younger boy is a little difficult at times, but he’s just a 3 year old little boy, that’s why. I babysat until midnight and when my host parents got home I retreated to my room and went to sleep.

Now it’s Sunday and I have had one of the least productive days of my life but it really does be like that sometimes.

25 November: I woke up at my friend Megan’s apartment because I had spent the night there after seeing a movie with Vera, Phillip, and Jonas. It was my first time seeing a movie entirely in German and I was so proud of myself for being able to understand almost everything. After I woke up, I rode my bike to McDonald’s and had some good old fashioned American breakfast. I don’t know why or how, but McDonald’s is significantly more delicious in Germany. After McDonald’s I went to the grocery store because I felt like making cookies from cookie dough, but unfortunately they didn’t have any so I just bought some tea instead. Then, I went to H&M because I thought I might want to buy a new sweater, but I didn’t end up buying anything, so I just rode my bike home. Then, I super cleaned my apartment, so now it’s spotless and ready to be Christmas-ified. At 1:30 I left my house and I met my friend Jolene for lunch and coffee. She is also an au pair so I really appreciated being able to talk to another girl who is in the exact same position as I am. After lunch, we went shopping together and it was honestly just a really enjoyable time. After this, I went to a bakery and worked on making some trip itineraries. My new obsession is making lists in my notebook with colorful pens, so I spent some time doing that. Then I went to Subway and had dinner and then I went to the library and studied German for about an hour. Then, I went to my English speaking drama group and it was so much fun! I really love the group and the people in it and I have the honor of planning the drama group Christmas party which I am so excited for because I am already in the Christmas spirit! After theater group, a few of us went out for hot chocolate and just talked and had a good time so I really enjoyed that. At night, I Facetimed my mom and Ken and I stayed up until 3 AM watching a Christmas movie.

26 November: I woke up at about 10 AM because I was so tired from staying up until 3 AM the previous night. I rode my bike to McDonald’s for coffee and a muffin. their coffee and muffins are so delicious I just can’t help myself. After breakfast, I went to H&M (again) and I shopped their pre-black Friday sale and I ended up actually buying two sweaters and a pair of jeans. I also made a stop at the American food store hoping to find egg nog, but there wasn’t any unfortunately. I think I will simply have to do without egg nog this year and just settle for the German variants. Next, I went to Aldi and restocked my groceries for only $12. Then I went home and took a shower and at 2 I went upstairs and spent a little time with Oma Inga and Oma Gunther. At 3, I picked up the older boy from kindergarten and we played together when we got home. We had about an hour and 15 minutes of time to play with just the two of us because my host mom, the younger boy, and the baby all went to the children’s gymnastic class and I stayed home and played with Duplo blocks with the older boy. For dinner, my host dad brought us all döner which was delicious. After dinner, I rode my bike to the city and met my friends Vera and Phillip at a cool bar that had a Nintendo 64 set up, so we played Mario Kart. I won, of course. After the bar, we went to the movie theater and we watched a “sneak preview” movie. All we knew going into the theater was that it was an English film and once the film ended, we had to write reviews so they could get an idea of how popular or well-liked the film would be. The movie was called “A Rainy Day in New York” and I thought it was okay, but everybody can live without seeing it. After the movie, I said goodbye to my friends and rode my bike back home and slept nice and cozy in my bed.

27 November: I woke up early and rode my bike to my 8:30 AM German class. I really enjoy this class because the teacher is great and it’s such a small class (now averaging about 11 people per class) that it’s very easy to communicate and speak in German. Plus, my teacher returned one of the creative writings I did and he wrote that it was a satisfying story! Not too creative and not too bland. After class, I went to Dunkin’ Donuts for a little while and spent some time working on homework and just doing some list making and other boring grown up stuff. Then, I went to my Bamberg culture class and that was fun because I love learning about Bamberg and we talked specifically about music in Bamberg and music in general. We talked about why and when we listen to music and the influence it has on our emotions. This class went by very quickly. After class, I had falafel for lunch and then I rode my bike back home to pick up the older you from kindergarten. It’s so funny when he and I speak English together and all of the other kids in his class are so confused! They always ask what I’m saying or why I “talk like that”. For some of them, it’s their first time hearing English in real life, so it’s very strange for them. At 4, the older boy went with my host mom and the baby to his music class and I had some alone time with the younger boy to play together. It actually went really well, he didn’t get upset with me and I didn’t get upset with him and that is very impressive considering we were together for about an hour and a half. Once the older boy got home though, they immediately started screaming and crying at each other over the stupidest thing, and nothing I said could make the situation better. They were both screaming, “Mama!” at the top of their lungs, and fortunately, that is not me. When their dad finally came, he resolved the issue and I all was well in the house. At 6, I had to ride my bike back to the city center for my choir rehearsal and I was very happy when it ended 1 hour early because I was exhausted. When I got home, I ate dinner, drank tea, and watched a cheesy Christmas movie. This was a good, busy day.

28 November: My first German Thanksgiving! I woke up early again and I somehow managed to muster up whatever minuscule amount of motivation I had to ride my bike to my grammar class. This class can be fun sometimes, but usually it is not. I don’t really feel like I am learning very much, so sometimes I really do struggle to get out of my bed and ride my bike to class in the cold. I left early and rode fast to my American studies class. I really like that class because of the friends I have and because of the lack of effort I need to put in. Also, my teacher said “We all know Benjamin Franklin as one of the presidents of the United States” and I was very nice and didn’t correct her even though he was never president. After that class, I rode my bike quickly home and ate lunch with my host mom and host kids. We had milk rice and apple sauce which is one of my favorite meals in Germany. After lunch, I read to the older boy for an hour and a half or so. Then, we had 6 more children and 2 more babies come over for my host mom’s music class. This day the baby and I watched the class and she didn’t cry at all. At the end, I tried to change her diaper and she was screaming and crying and kept rolling over and I don’t remember my baby alive doll ever giving me this much trouble when I tried to change her diaper. One of the little girls at the music class asked me why I speak English and I said “Because I am American. Why do you speak German?” and she just smiled, probably feeling destroyed after I roasted her so hard. I played with the boys for an hour or so after the music class. Then I rode my bike back to the city center to my American friend Megan’s apartment for our “Thanksgiving Dinner”. We had wine and Domino’s pizza and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the holiday. Megan is so cool and she told me about all the traveling she’s done and the places she’s been and it’s all very inspiring for me. I also got to FaceTime both my sisters which was nice because I think it was our first Thanksgiving where all three of us were apart. Megan and I watched a movie and fell asleep. I definitely would call it a fun and successful Thanksgiving.

29 November: I woke up at Megan’s apartment and I rode my bike to McDonald’s and had a cappuccino and I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for pumpkin cookies/muffins (I don’t really know what they were if I’m being honest) and Mac and Cheese. When I got home, I baked the cookies/muffins and did some cleaning in my area. Then at 12 I went upstairs and made some Mac and cheese. My host dad came home with the 3 kids and also their cousin who is a 1.5 year old girl. My host mom and her sister went to the spa for the day so my host dad and I were in charge of all four kids for the day. It honestly went a lot better than I expected. I mainly played with the older kids and my host dad took care of the baby and that worked well for us. Opa Kalli came over at around 4:45 and helped us out as well which was nice and I really enjoy him. At 5:30, I rode my nike to the city center for a thanksgiving dinner with a group called the “Bamberg Buddies”. It’s a group for American and Canadian students to meet with German students and it’s where I met my best German friends. The dinner was so much fun and there was so much delicious food and it was a great time. I had good conversation with people I had never talked to before and my American Studies professor was there and I got to know and talk to her and I thought that was really beneficial for me. After the party, I went over to Megan, Phillip, and Jonas’s apartment and we played card games. I rode my bike home at 12:30 AM and finally fell asleep at about 2 AM.

30 November: This was one of the most fun days I’ve had so far in Germany. I spent the morning sleeping and cleaning. I worked on some more lists and really just did some relaxing. At 2, I went upstairs and talked to my host mom and played with the baby and helped with the finishing touches for the party that would be happening in the evening. At 3, the guests started to arrive and from the beginning the party was so much. My host parents have a “winter grill” every year to kick off the Christmas season with about 60 guests. I couldn’t believe the amount of kids running around. So many people brought delicious food to eat and we drank “kinderpunsch” which is just alcohol free apple punch and it was delicious. We also ate lebkuchen and in addition to roasting marshmallows, we also put bread dough on a stick and cooked it on the fire. I had good conversation with so many people and I felt happy the entire night. I also met these siblings who were 7, 9, and 11 years old and they were very fascinated by English, so I spent about an hour talking and playing with them and teaching them English. I told them if they ever wanted to hang out with a cool American, their mom could call me. I also got to spend a lot of time talking to Melissa (who was my family’s first au-pair) and I got to meet her husband and he is very nice and sociable. At the end of the night, there were only about 8 of us left and I was talking with our neighbor and my glass of glühwein was empty and she insisted that I refill it and at first I declined, but she insisted. So I said “Oh, why not, I love peer pressure”. I went to bed about 11:30 PM feeling happy and excited for the start of the Christmas season.

I can’t believe it’s already December! My time here is going by so quickly, but I am having so much fun, I don’t really mind. I’ve spent most of today just relaxing, but this evening I am going to a Christmas song sing along which is followed by a bonfire and glühwein. Christmas in Germany is a magical time and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

There is no short version because this blog is already pretty short. You gotta read to get the details! There’s a sign at Dunkin’ Donuts that says “Lesen ist Kino im Kopf” which means, reading is a movie in the head. That’s pretty inspiring.

18 November: This was a great day! I woke up early to do my laundry and I also played with the boys. This was a special day because the girl who was the first au pair for my host family came to visit. I was very excited. I spent most of the day talking with her and playing with the boys and it was very nice. She lives in Germany so it’s nice to know I have someone practically right here who has been in the exact same position as I am in now. In the late afternoon I rode my bike to the city center and I got a cappuccino and then I met with my culture class and together we took a tour of a place here in Bamberg called “Villa Concordia”. I’m still not entirely sure what it is, but what I know is that it’s a place where artists live and make artwork for our city or something like that. I will be honest, I didn’t pay such close attention during the tour, but it’s really hard to stay focused when it’s all in german! Afterwards, we all went out to a typical Frankish “kneipe” or pub. (I inserted a German word so you know I’m learning the language). It was really fun to talk to new people and interact with people I normally wouldn’t have. I had to leave slightly early to go to my English speaking theater group and my friend from Syria walked with me to the university building because he needed to go the same way for his dance class. My theater group was so much fun and I am starting to get to know everyone really well and become friends with them, so that is great. After that, 7 of us went out for hot chocolate and it was so much fun! They’re all German except for one girl who is from Ukraine (who I really like) so it’s nice to have some more “authentic” German friends. I had a lot of fun and I really like living in Germany, that’s all.

19 November: I woke up and started off the day by ironing the clothes for my family. Oma Inga was at the house to take care of the baby while my host mom and the younger boy went to the dentist. I also cleaned up my apartment a little and worked on my homework. At 3, I picked up the older boy from kindergarten and we read together and then we rode our bikes to the grocery store. Again, I have a lot of respect for moms and dads because going shopping with kids is, to put it simply, difficult. I got pretty frustrated, but this happens sometimes. We all ate dinner together and then I went out to a university party/bonfire and that was a lot of fun! We had roasted marshmallows, glühwein, and a bunch of people from my drama group were there as well as my best German friends (bgf), Vera, Phillip, and Megan (who is not German). After the party we went to the döner place and I got falafel and french fries and then we went back to Megan and Phillip’s apartment. We talked for maybe 40 minutes and then I went home, knowing I needed some sleep before my long school day ahead.

20 November: As always, Wednesday is my day off, but also my day for most of my classes. I woke up at 7 and rode my bike to Bamberg to pick up my Visa. I am now officially no longer living in Germany on my tourist visa (which would expire soon anyways)! Right after I picked up my visa, I rode my bike to my language class and I swear the class gets smaller and smaller every week. Probably because the international students are learning where the parties are and taking advantage of it. For this class our homework is always to write a short story in German with varying topics. Our goal is to be creative and to tell a hearty, interesting story, the main problem for me is that every week on my paper, my teacher writes “maybe this is a little too creative”. Having an imagination such as mine is a blessing and a curse! After my language class, I didn’t feel like going to my lecture that’s entirely in German so I went to Dunkin Donuts instead and had a coffee and studied my German. I also spent a little bit of time talking to the American guy who runs it, he’s a little crazy, but reminds me of home, so that’s good. Then I went to my Bamberg culture class and it was so much fun. I am starting to really enjoy these classes because I am becoming friends with everyone and I am finding it easier and easier to speak German. I can have entire conversations in German with my colleagues, my host parents, and even other native speaker friends who I have made! It makes me happy to know I am completely immersing myself in the language. I had lunch at subway and then I spent the afternoon at Megan’s apartment watching movies with her and Vera. It’s nice to have friends where I can just say “I need a place to relax for a few hours” and it turns into an event. At 6 pm, I went to my choir rehearsal and I met a girl who also has curly hair and we talked entirely in German which was great. It’s a little difficult for me to make friends in the choir mainly because it’s such a big group, but I am so happy when people make conversation with me. After choir I rode my bike home and I FaceTimed with Sydney and Harper and I FaceTimed my mom.

21 November: I woke up early and rode my bike to my grammar class. I don’t love the class but I tolerate it and one of the girls from Canada told me that she admires me for coming to an 8 am class that I’m not even getting credit for. However, I left this class a little early to get breakfast and to ride my bike to my American studies class. I really enjoy my American studies class and I have a few friends in there and we made a plan to hopefully go to the Christmas Market in Nuremberg together next month so I am very excited for that! Immediately after that, I rode my bike home and had lunch with the kids. Then I read to the older boy while the younger boy took a very fast nap. This was the first day of my host mom’s music class for the kids at kindergarten, so I watched the baby upstairs while my host mom taught music to 8 rambunctious children in our living room. At the end, I came down and played with all the little kids and it was fun. One of the girls asked me why I talk so funny and I had to tell her that it’s because I come from America and I’m just starting to really learn German and to mind her own business!! Okay, I didn’t say the last part, but I wanted to. We ate dinner together and I put the boys to bed while my host parents had their date night. The boys were really nice to me because their parents promised to give them a surprise if they were well behaved. At the end of the night I talked with my host parents and we decided to speak exclusively in German to one another and we also talked about my parents visiting and made plans for that, so I am very excited!

22 November: I woke up early this day because my host mom had a meeting at the kindergarten so I would be watching the baby. For the first hour we went for a walk and she slept. We went through the forest and around the neighborhood and it was a nice relaxing morning. Then when we got home, we played for about 45 minutes or so and it was going well but then she started crying and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I tried changing her diaper, feeding her, giving her something to drink, carrying her, setting her down, nothing worked! Finally when her mom came home she was fine and all was well in the house. The boys came home from kindergarten shortly after and we ate lunch together, then I read to the older boy for a moment and afterwards my host mom told me I could take a break until 4, so I went to my room and slept for a few hours. Then at 4 I came back up and we all played together for a few hours until it was time for dinner. Then, we all ate dinner together and I played with the boys while my host mom took the baby to sleep. I watched a Christmas movie and fell asleep pretty early because I was exhausted from a whole day of babysitting.

23 November: I woke up at about 7:30 and took a shower and went upstairs at about 8:40. We ate porridge for breakfast and then I went on a walk with the baby for about an hour while she slept. When I got home, we played for a while and then we loaded up the car and drove about 45 minutes away to a birthday party for my host-great-grandpa. It was in a tradition German guest house and we ate a lot of food, but I had a bit of a headache so I wasn’t really feeling my best self. I still had a really good time and I indulged myself in some delicious dessert. The way home was just me, my host mom, and the baby because the boys are spending the rest of the weekend at their Oma and Opa’s house. When we got home I really didn’t feel good so I ended up going to bed at 5 pm and waking up 14 hours later. Not every Saturday night can be a party you know.

Now it’s Sunday and I’m at Dunkin Donuts enjoying the free WiFi and the delicious coffee before it closes in a few weeks. I’m very excited because I’m about to go to my first Christmas market at the animal shelter here in Bamberg! I am so excited for my future adventures and the Christmas season here in Germany. As always thanks for reading about my European Adventure. I didn’t take any pictures this week, so I just attached one from my birthday that I never actually posted.

The short version of what you’re about to read: just pretty standard week in the life of Avery. If that’s something you find interesting, read on! I hope you find it to be exciting.

12 November: I had spent the night at my friend Megan’s house so I woke up there at about 9:30. Then I rode my bike to Aldi and bought groceries. I bought a lot of healthier stuff because the chocolate diet isn’t really good for my health or my wallet. After Aldi, I came home, ate breakfast, and then I took a very long nap because I was still tired from Prague. I picked the older boy up from kindergarten at 3 and I think I really missed that guy. He is a lot of fun and we get along well. When we got home, we played for a while and we read some books and I went with my host mom, both boys, and the baby to “kinderturnen” which is basically children’s gymnastic time with their parents. It’s actually quite fun and really cute to see the little kids running around, I enjoyed it a lot and the boys behaved themselves very much. When we got back home, I read to the older boy and then it was time for dinner. We ate bread and cheese and now it’s 7:35 pm and I think I am going to go to sleep soon. I must still be tired from Prague! That is a great first world problem to have though.

13 November: I went to bed really early Tuesday night, but I still struggled to find the motivation to wake up today. I pressed the snooze button so many times! I finally woke up and got myself ready after about ten 2 minute snoozes (which really isn’t good for my health). Then, I rode my bike to my German creative writing and free speech class and it went by very quickly. I talked to my friend from the Czech Republic about my trip to Prague and we also did a lot of partner work together. I don’t think he knows he’s my friend, but he is. After class, I rushed to my lecture that’s entirely in German, but I didn’t really pay attention because it’s entirely in German. We watched some segments of the Three Musketeers movie which was fun and it was in English so even better. Something interesting about my city, Bamberg, is that many scenes from the Three Musketeers were filmed there, so that was also cool to see. After class, I went to subway and got a sandwich for lunch and then I walked to my Bamberg culture class. That class also went by so fast for me! It has a very interesting dynamic because there’s about 30 students made up of 28 girls and 2 boys, I honestly don’t know how that happens. After my class, I went to a cafe and had a cappuccino and then I rode my bike back to the “villiage” to pick up the older boy from kindergarten. We read a few books when we got home and then it was time for him to go to music school, so we rode our bikes to the local elementary school for his class. I had to wait for an hour, but I didn’t really mind, it was easy babysitting. When I brought him back home, I almost immediately had to ride my bike back to the city for my choir rehearsal. The rehearsal went really well and I love being a part of such a large ensemble. My only problem is that the rehearsal lasts for 3 hours, which is a little long for my attention span, but it usually goes by pretty quickly. After my choir rehearsal I had falafel for dinner and I went to Megan’s apart and me, Megan, Vera, Phillip and I had a movie night which was really fun. They are my best friends in Germany and I’m very lucky to already have some best friends in Germany because it doesn’t always happen so quickly for people. I would definitely call this a good day.

14 November: I woke up early and rode my bike to the city for my german grammar class. This class is still lacking some umfph, but I don’t really mind so much because I think everybody in the class feels that way. After my grammar class, I rode my bike to my American cultural studies class and I made it there in record time, I was really quite impressed with myself! This class went really well because I am actually able to give good insight and add further information to the group discussions because I am American, of course. Also, my professor learned the names of the people in the class which I appreciate. After class, I rode my bike so fast back home to start babysitting at 12:30. At 1:30, my host mom had to leave, so I was alone with all three kids (even though the younger boy was sleeping). The older boy, the baby and I listened to music from a cassette tape which is pretty ancient but fun. Then, Oma Inga and Opa Gunther came over and I went for a walk with the baby and she slept for 2 hours, which was such a long time! After that I came back home and played with the boys and the baby. We ate dinner together and then my host parents and host grandparents went to a comedy show together and I had to put the boys to bed. The younger one didn’t really behave for me, but eventually he obliged, so all was right in the world. Once the boys were finally in bed, the baby started screaming and crying for 15 minutes and I could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong, I finally figured out she just needed her diaper changed and once I did that she was fine. I FaceTimed with my friend Alaina for an hour or so while I waited for my host parents to come back home and it was really really great talking to her. I’m honestly so exhausted after my 11 hour workday so I will end it here with a big fat goodnight.

15 November: I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really know what I did all morning. Nothing really productive except for eating breakfast and lunch and taking a shower, but I didn’t leave the house so it was a pretty chill morning. At 2:30 we all left to Oma and Opas house in Wipfeld for Opa’s birthday party. Oma baked delicious cheesecake and chocolate cake and we ate so much of it. Then I played so nicely with the boys for a few hours until it was time for dinner. For dinner we ate bread and cheese. Then we drove 15 minutes away to Oma Edith and Opa Kalli’s house and I read to the boys and babysat once they were asleep and my host parents went out to meet some friends. This was a good day. Also, all four of the grandparents said they can tell my german is improving!

16 November: The older boy woke me up at about 9 and we all ate breakfast as a family. Then, I went with my host mom and dad to the city center of Schweinfurt, the town where they both grew up. They went shopping and I had some time to explore the city in all it’s glory so I went to 2 different churches as well as an interesting very small cemetery. We went back home for lunch and we ate soup and pizza which Oma Edith cooked for us. It was very delicious. When the younger boy went down for his nap, I played with the older boy and I also hung out with my host dad’s sisters (Anne and Fransiska) which was really nice. In the late afternoon we went to my host dad’s family reunion and there was so much cake I couldn’t believe it! It was really funny because when everyone met me, they couldn’t seem to figure out who I was or how I was related to them, so every time I told them I’m an au pair, they sighed a huge sigh of relief knowing they hadn’t forgotten one of their relatives. I ate 5 pieces of cake and I talked to Opa Kalli and Anne and I also played Uno with the older boy, my host dad, and Anne’s boyfriend and that was really fun. We ate dinner at Oma Edith and Opa Kalli’s house and we had pizza again which was delicious. This was a good day and I was very happy to have a large family gathering so close to thanksgiving because this really felt just like an early thanksgiving to me.

17 November: Now it’s Sunday and I spent all morning reading to the boys. I’m at Dunkin’ Donuts using their free WiFi and I’m kind of sad because the guy who works here (who is also American) told me that they’re closing in 1 month :(, but I think I will manage. I’ve found another coffee shop here in Bamberg that I really like that has specialty coffees like a gingerbread latte. Also, I am very very excited because they are already setting up the Christmas market here in Bamberg!! It makes me so happy to see decorations everywhere.

Pro Tip: if you are only interested in reading about my trip to Prague, skip to November 9th. Also, if you would like to see more pictures from my trip, check out the album on my Facebook.

4 November: I woke up and went to the mall. I ate breakfast and went shopping at h&m and I spent €30. Afterwards, I got some pizza and I bought myself some groceries to have at home. Then, I rode back home and relaxed for a while and at 4 I went upstairs to play with the boys which was fun. The older boy and I made a “super dragon” out of paper and he was very very proud of it. However, he kept telling me to do stuff like stapling and gluing and making arms and legs, but then he told his dad that he did the whole thing by himself! I guess that’s just the life of a struggling artist in Germany, I’ll tell ya. For dinner we ate bread and cheese and then I rode my bike to the city center for my English speaking theater group and it was so much fun! I’m starting to actually get to know the people which is really nice and they replaced the guy in the scene from last week and my director said our scene went even better. After drama group we went to a café to celebrate one of our members completing his master thesis. It was really fun and I am starting to become friends with more and more people in the group. We stayed at the café until midnight and then I walked with my new friend Guzel back to her apartment. She was really nice to me and complimented my acting and I appreciated it very much. This was a very good day/night that I enjoyed very much.

5 November: I woke up and ate some cereal for breakfast. I cleaned the common area leading to my apartment and I binged more “how I met your mother”. For lunch, I made myself some cheese bread which was tasty. At 3, I picked up the older boy up from kindergarten and he was in a really good mood which put me in a really good mood. Then when we got home, everybody was in a really good mood. It was amazing. My host mom, the younger boy, and the baby were all happy and smiling, which made me happy and smiling! I held and played with the baby for about 45 minutes and my host mom read to the boys. When it was time for me to take the older boy to soccer practice, he refused to wear an undershirt, even though it was freezing cold outside, so he just started running around in his underwear. At first, I was really frustrated, but I managed to make him laugh and he was better and I felt proud of myself. We rode our bikes to the soccer field and it’s unfortunate because by the time the practice is over, it’s pitch black outside and freezing cold even though it ends at 5:30! When we got home, the older boy took a warm shower because he was really cold and I was really cold too, but that’s life in Deutschland. For dinner, my host dad brought us all delicious döner and we ate it all. After dinner, I played with the boys for maybe 15 minutes and then I went to the city center to meet my friend Maximillian for dinner at a place that has (self-proclaimed and I agree) amazing fries. We also went to a Mexican restaurant and got flan and sweet potato fries. It was a lot of fun. This was a good day.

6 November: I woke up and ate breakfast and then I rode my bike to my 8:30 AM class. The class went by very fast for me and was actually a really enjoyable period. I felt like I learned a lot and I thankfully wasn’t falling asleep with boredom. Afterwards, I rode my bike to my lecture that’s entirely in German and that one was so boring I was falling asleep, but it’s entirely in German so can you really blame me? I had extra time in between my lecture and my next class, so I got hot chocolate and cheesecake. My next class was a little more difficult because I was more tired and it’s an interesting class, but we talk a lot about the history of Bamberg and sometimes the history lesson can be a little boring. At one point I started falling asleep and the teacher called on me to answer his question and I obviously had no clue what we were talking about or what the question was so I just made up an answer and the whole class laughed and the teacher laughed and I laughed, but after that I stayed awake for the rest of the class period so it was very important that we all shared a laugh over my stupidity. After class, I met my friend Mark from Ireland at a cafe for lunch. I had crêpes and he had a sandwich and we talked about our lives and our jobs and school stuff, you know the typical study abroad conversation. Then we went shopping together and we also walked up to the Bamberg cathedral because he’d never seen it before. When we stopped hanging out, I still had one hour left until my choir rehearsal, so I went to a cafe and got hot chocolate. My choir rehearsal was really nice and although it went by a little slowly (3 hours is such a long rehearsal), I really enjoyed the music we made. It feels wonderful to be singing in a group again. When I got home, I took a shower and fell straight into bed, excited to see what the future holds.

7 November: I woke up early this day and went to the city for my classes. Unfortunately, on my way there, I crashed my bike and it was so embarrassing for me, but thankfully I was wearing my helmet and my bike and I were both safe. (Aside from a scraped knee). My classes went really well this day, even though they are my typically boring classes. In my American studies class, the teacher complimented my insight. We also had to make a group presentation and I was the only one in my group who would talk which was a positive and a negative. I think the teacher admired what I contributed to the class. Afterwards, I had to ride my bike back home quickly to start babysitting. We ate lunch together and then I read to the older boy and we watched Dragon Tales together (except I will admit I was falling asleep). We read some more stories and then he left for a play date at his friends house and I played with the younger boy which actually went really well. It’s really strange how well I bond with each boy individually, but when they’re both together, I can’t seem to get really connect with either of them. At 6 pm, I went and got a pizza for dinner and I was trying to speak German to the pizza maker and he said “you know I speak English too, right?” And I said in German “yes, but I need to learn German”. This made me feel insecure about my german speaking, but also, I felt good about myself for not just switching to English when he said that. After I ate my pizza, I rode my bike to the city center and I met my friends Megan, Phillip, and Jonas at a brewery that was having a special “bock bier” opening or something like that; I just drank the milk that I had smuggled in. After that we went back to their apartment and Vera, Maximilian, and Moritz joined us and we had a game night. We played cards, uno, and some group games that people had downloaded on their phones. It was honestly such a fun night and I was so happy to have had a great time with my friends.

8 November: I woke up at about 9 am at Megan’s apartment. Megan, Jonas, Phillip, and I hung out for a few hours just talking and then we walked to the nearby döner restaurant and had delicious döner for lunch. Afterwards, I rode my bike to the city center and I got coffee with two women who are also American and are looking for babysitters.They were both really fun and I enjoyed meeting them. Afterwards, I went shopping and I bought some new clothes and a coat and some Christmas socks (it’s early, but there’s no thanksgiving here, so it can be Christmas now!). Then, I came back home and I packed my bag for Prague and relaxed for a moment. I then went with my host dad and the boys to their “English Speaking Story time” and I honestly think it’s the cringiest thing in the world, but I appreciate the concept of it. The main problem is that the other kids (including the leader’s son) are not really invested in the story or speaking English, so it’s very chaotic with kids running around or not being able to focus. I don’t know if either of the boys actually enjoy it, but it’s a good way to spend some time speaking English. When we got home, the boys all of a sudden were in really bad moods and everything was making the older boy scream and cry which was a little frustrating for me, but we powered through. I was babysitting this night, so I had to bring the boys to bed and it was such a struggle. They didn’t want to listen to anything I said and the younger boy wouldn’t lay down, and it was a whole ordeal. Thankfully, after a bit of grit and perseverance, they finally fell asleep. I would qualify this day as a fun day, and it was a great kickstart to my weekend away.

9 November: I woke up so early at 4:30 AM and got ready to go to Prague. It was weird riding my bike to the train station at 4:55 in the morning, but I kind of like that that’s just a part of my life now. I met Awije at the station and we took the train from Bamberg to Nuremberg. We had an hour of time to spare before our bus left, so we went to a bakery at the Nuremberg station and ate breakfast. Then we walked over to the bus station and it arrived precisely on time at 7:15 and then our bus left precisely on time at 7:20. It was such a comfortable bus and there were very few people on it. It was just so pleasant and it wasn’t difficult to sleep at all and the WiFi connection was absolutely perfect, unlike some buses where the WiFi can be so spotty. (This blog has not been sponsored by DeutscheBahn). We arrived in Prague early and we ate Burger King for lunch and I honestly think it tasted better than in America and I used to eat Burger King nearly every day of my life! We then walked to the old town square for our walking tour. At first, we accidentally joined in a tour that we thought was ours and the tour guide was like “can I help you ladies” and we said that we were here for the free walking tour and he said “well, this is a free walking tour, but we’re halfway through, so I don’t think this is your tour”. And he was right, it wasn’t. We were embarrassed, but it was really funny. Thankfully we were able to find our correct tour and our guide was so nice. He was British and very funny and knowledgeable about Prague and he told us many interesting and engaging stories that we both really appreciated. He showed us the university where Albert Einstein once studied, which really impressed me and he also showed us the Estate Theater where Mozart premiered his opera “Don Giovanni”. It was so cool for me to go to this place especially after having visited Mozart’s apartment in Vienna last month and learning about his life and history. Halfway through the tour we stopped for warm drinks because it was cold and rainy in Prague this day, my hot chocolate really hit the spot. The tour lasted about 3 hours and 15 minutes and we learned and saw so much. Pro tip to anybody who is traveling: your first activity should be a free walking tour! They’re great and they really give you your bearings in a new city. After the walking tour we ate at a place called “Tom’s Burgers” and I got a vegetarian burger (that had vegetables on it that I ate!) and it was really nice. It’s a little difficult to budget the money here because they are on the Czech Korunas and not the Euro, but we’ve managed. After lunch, we stopped at a little station to get Trdelník which Wikipedia defines as: a kind of spit cake. It is made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix. I had mine with ice cream and it tasted amazing. Don’t be surprised if I have it several more times throughout this blog. We checked into our air bnb around 5 pm and we are in awe of our amazing view. I can’t believe how cheap we got this room for considering it’s amazing location and accessibility. We took a nap for about an hour because we were both exhausted from waking up so early and the walking tour. After our nap, we went back out into the city and dinked around lots of souvenir shops. We also went to Starbucks and had a drink. I was surprised that there were so many drunk people on the streets at only 8:30 PM, but everybody has those days I guess. We saw two guys start to beat each other up and I just told Awije to turn around and walk the other way with me. I don’t know if that was the correct thing to do in that situation, but I wasn’t really sure what role two young female tourists were supposed to take. We ended up walking in a quaint Christmas market and we went to the shopping mall and looked at stores there. It’s a little refreshing that the stores here don’t close at 6 PM like they do in Germany. I am so amazed by the beauty of Prague and I’m so happy that I get to spend 2 more days here. Although, I will admit I had a few tired, cranky moments this day, I wouldn’t have lived this day any other way. It was great.

10 November: Sunday is God’s day and I thank God for such a great Sunday! We woke up and got Starbucks and delicious crêpes at a creperie right by our air bnb. Then, we walked across the bridge (stopping to take amazing pictures, of course) to the Franz Kafka museum. To save you the trouble of googling who that is, I’ve done it for you: “Franz Kafka was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature.” It was very interesting for me to learn about his life in Prague and the man he was, because I had never heard of him either. I ended up getting finished with the museum way earlier than my friend though, so I went to a café next door and drank hot chocolate. Then when she was done, we had lunch at a restaurant with really delicious french fries and sandwiches. I also got another Trdelník (which I now know is called chimney cake in English). Then we walked to the John Lennon wall and that was also very cool to see, because it is also very important in Prague’s history. It was made as a tribute to John Lennon’s teachings of non-violence and freedom of speech in 1980 after John Lennon was murdered. The art on the wall is very beautiful and inspiring which I really appreciated, especially being a pacifist myself. After the wall, we went back to the Kafka museum so Awije could buy a postcard and then we walked by the river where there were many many swans that you could get really close to because they are so used to being fed by civilians. I thought that was very cute. After this, we went to some shops and looked around at cute clothes and cute stores. I personally didn’t buy anything, but after reading this blog, you all know I just love to shop. We walked along the largest square in Europe, the one our tour guide from the previous day noted “it’s so big it’s actually a rectangle” and that was great. We ended up going to a Thai massage place that is a chain here in Prague and we let fish eat the dead skin off our feet. It was a really cool experience and felt so weird! At first it really tickled, but then I got used to it. I loved it very much and my feet are now baby soft. For dinner, we ate at Vapiano which is a chain Italian restaurant and I ate cheese pizza (my favorite). I know I should be eating authentic Prague dishes, but the options are very slim and kind of expensive for vegetarians who are traveling on a budget. Afterwards, we climbed the Old Town Hall tower and got a gorgeous view of Prague in the night. We had the whole viewing deck to ourselves and I was amazed by the beauty of the buildings. It was so great. Now we’re back at the air bnb for our 2nd and final overnight in Prague. I had such a great day today and I’m so excited for our third great day in this beautiful city.

11 November: Today was our final day in Prague. It’s sad, but I am also ready to go back to Bamberg. We woke up at 6:30 AM and got ourselves ready, then we walked to the St. Charles Bridge which was beautifully uncrowded so early in the morning. We had hopes of seeing the sunrise, but it was much too foggy and cloudy to see the sun, but neither of us minded. Personally, I think the bridge was even more beautiful with the eeriness of the fog. We took photos and walked the entire bridge and then we went to Starbucks and I had a gingerbread latte and a slice of New York Cheesecake. There’s no Starbucks in Bamberg, so it was very nice to get a fix of my home in the USA. After breakfast, we went back to the air bnb for about an hour and packed our luggage up. We then went to the Jewish History Museum. The Jewish quarter in Prague is very special because it is home to the world’s oldest active synagogue (dating back to 1270) in addition to being home to several other synagogues. The Jewish quarter in Prague has many original buildings, despite being one of Hitler’s most desired cities. The reason for this, is that Nazi leaders had plans to make the Jewish Quarter in Prague a “museum of an extinct race”. Thankfully, this plan was not successful and the Jewish quarter is only home to the Jewish History Museum. We went to the Klausen synagogue, the Pinkas synagogue, and the Old Jewish cemetery. We were also able to see the outsides of the Spanish Synagogue (which some describe as the most beautiful synagogue in the world) and the Jerusalem synagogue. These exhibits and museums were all very powerful and impactful for me and they make Prague an even more special city. Another cool exhibit we were able to visit is the Robert Guttmann gallery. He was a Jewish painter who resided in Prague and I actually really enjoyed his art. Sometimes, I feel like I don’t enjoy older artwork or I can’t appreciate it, but I actually found this gallery to be interesting and the art was very appealing to me. After the Jewish Museum we went to a café and got a drink to warm up and I also got one last Trdelník to commemorate my time in Prague. This was such an amazing trip for me and while I am happy to be on the bus back to Bamberg, I am so amazed and grateful for the chance to have visited this beautiful city.

The short version of what you’re about to read: The proverb patience is a virtue means that it is a good quality to be able to tolerate something that takes a long time and just talking about my life of course.

28 October: This day was very high-low for me. I woke up at about 9 and I sat in bed for an hour or so and then I rode my bike to the bakery and I bought a ginormous piece of cheesecake and a glass of delicious hot chocolate. I sat and enjoyed that for about 30 minutes and then I just walked around the grocery store because I had nothing better to do. After that, I went to the bank to take care of something that I thought I needed to take care of, but apparently was already taken care of, if you catch my drift. So I rode my bike back home and cleaned my apartment a little and ate some chocolate and watched “how I met your mother”. At 2, I went upstairs and my host mom told me that both boys were sick and throwing up, so I just read to the older boy and we didn’t cuddle because I didn’t want his germs (yuck). When the younger boy woke up from his nap, we played together and they both started to not feel so bad. We listened to some music, played with remote control cars, and did some art. Later in the evening their aunt came to visit, so I didn’t really have anything to do. We ate dinner together and then I had to leave for my English speaking theater group at the university. The 20 minute bike ride just keeps getting colder and colder, but I persevere because I am a strong woman who knows how to bundle up. My theater group was fun, we actually were able to do some scene work this week which was really nice. I got a little frustrated with one of my scene mates because he wasn’t understanding the text and he was struggling to get a grasp on how to act, but it all ended up working out. Patience is a virtue!!! We performed our scenes in front of the class, and I don’t want to brag about myself, but this is my personal blog so I will: I felt very good about my work and afterwards both of my directors came up to me personally and commented on how impressed they were with my performance. That made me so happy! Needless to say, I was so warmed up with joy, the bike ride home didn’t seem so cold.

29 October: I woke up, made myself some eggs, showered and then rode my bike to the shopping mall to buy a birthday present for the younger boy’s birthday. I also got some hot chocolate and cheesecake. My bike ended up having a flat tire so I had to walk it home which was fine, but I didn’t really like it. Then when I got home, I just relaxed for one hour and then went upstairs to play with the boys. They were still sick, so they just sort of laid around. I went on a walk with the baby which was really enjoyable because I discovered another nature trail only about 2 minutes from my house and we walked there. Unfortunately, the baby only slept for 35 minutes even though she was much more tired than that. When I got home, I played with the boys for a little while and then they all went on a walk and I stayed back to clean up the kitchen and living room. For dinner we ate bread and cheese. Also, its very weird for me because the sun sets at 5 pm so it’s dark so early! After dinner I went downstairs and just relaxed until it was time for bed.

30 October: I woke up and got ready for school. Unfortunately, I tried to ride my bike, but it turns out the tire wasn’t just flat, there was actually a hole in it so it didn’t work. I ended up having to take the bus for 12 minutes and then I had to walk for 20 minutes more to my class and I was 7 minutes late. When I walked in, embarrassed of course, I received a red card from my teacher and I still don’t really know what it means, but at the end of class he collected it and told me not to be late again. My class was good, but I get a little frustrated because some people don’t like to speak at all so when we talk in smaller groups, I can’t communicate because I can’t understand the other people at all! However, we’re all there to learn and that’s what’s important. Patience is a virtue!!! After my german class, I went to Base Coffee and had hot chocolate and pancakes for breakfast! They were really delicious pancakes and I didn’t want fruit on them so I didn’t have to pay as much! Picky eating is a blessing and a curse, I’ll tell you. Afterwards, I walked to my culture class and I had really good conversation with this guy from Pakistan who is really nice. I couldn’t understand a word of his german, but we spoke well in English. I also made friends with a guy from Syria who is very nice and has hair kind of like mine. After my culture class, I had to take the bus back to my house, but I ended up taking the wrong bus, so I wasted a lot of time. Thankfully it dropped me off only about a 10 minute walk from my house. At the time I was really angry, but looking at it now, it wasn’t a big deal at all. When I got home, Oma Edith and Opa Kalli were there so I talked with them for a while and I played with the baby and then I ironed the clothes. My host parents and my host grandparents are starting to speak to me in German now so I am feeling better and better about my german abilities. I am gaining so much confidence to speak, even though my grammar is terrible. I’m very thankful they have patience with me speaking though, because as we know, patience is a virtue. For dinner, I rode my host mom’s bike to Bamberg and I got pizza with my new friend Maximilian. It was very fun and the pizza tasted very good! This was a good day and I am very very excited for Halloween tomorrow!

31 October: I woke up and went to my 8 am German class, it’s still not my favorite class and I am always so tired when I arrive there, but I survived it. Afterwards, I went to my American Cultural Studies class and for part of the time we watched a movie which I was thankful for because then I could sleep a little bit. Afterwards I went home and had lunch with my host family and I played with the older boy. The time actually went by so quickly for me because before I knew it, it was time to wake up the younger boy from his nap. I spent a little bit of time reading with the older boy and then I had to go pick up my bike from the repair shop and I also had to pick up some groceries for my host family at the grocery store. When I got home, the kids were all in costume and we went to a gathering at the neighbors house. They had gingerbread , candy, and sweets to my hearts content. In Germany they say “süßes oder saueres” instead of trick or treat, which directly translated means “sweet or sour” which I think is cute. We handed out candy to trick or treaters and then we went trick or treating for 25 minutes or so with the kids. There were not many houses with people handing out candy, so it didn’t last for very long. Afterwards, I rode my bike to Bamberg to meet my friend Jolene who is another au pair in the area. The literature department at my school was having a gathering and Jolene’s host mom was doing a reading, so we supported her. I ended up going home pretty early. Even though I had planned to stay out until 4 am, I was home and in bed by 12:30 am. Long story short, it was not the night I planned for, but a good night nonetheless. It was really cool to see the Halloween traditions in Germany (they dress very scary, way more so than the US) and it was nice to actually meet my neighbors and talk to them.

1 NOVEMBER: This was a pretty lazy, but good day! I woke up and got ready and I went upstairs and had a nice breakfast with my family. We were celebrating the younger boys 3rd birthday so we had a delicious breakfast from the bakery. I also gave him my present (a pair of pajamas, a paw patrol shirt, and a drawing book) and he was so excited about it! I was honestly really surprised how excited he was about the clothes because usually kids don’t care. However, shortly after he got my present, something made him upset and he kept telling me to go away and to stay away from him. It was a nice moment while it lasted. Sometimes kids love you, sometimes they hate you, sometimes both at the same time; patience is a virtue. Afterwards, the family went on a day trip and I rode my bike to the city to meet my friend Awije for coffee. We talked about our trip to Prague and spent some time walking around the city center. It was a celebration day in Bavaria, so the shops were closed (except for the cafes), so there wasn’t really much else to do except for coffee. After hanging with Awije, I ended up going to McDonald’s and just hanging out there for one hour just enjoying the fast food ambience. When I was in the bathroom, a male employee came in to fix something and he stayed in there like it was no big deal that I was there. I exchanged a confused look with this other girl, but I guess it was McDonald’s so I shouldn’t expect anything less. To finish my day, I spent six hours binge watching how I met your mother and it was really pleasant and relaxing. This was just, a nice, much needed lazy day

2 November: I was very diligent this day and it ended up being an awesome day! I woke up early and rode my bike to the grocery store to buy ingredients to make pumpkin muffins. I also got breakfast and hot chocolate. There’s only one grocery store in my city that I know of that has canned pumpkin, it’s a little farther away than the regular grocery store, but I don’t really mind going there. It’s really similar to Hyvee so it makes me think of home. Afterwards, I rode my bike back home and I baked the muffins. I also rearranged and cleaned my entire apartment, so it looks really great and it feels more homey than it did before. I moved my bed closer to the window, so the light actually hits me in the morning and I am scientifically destined to wake up even happier. I also worked on my German homework for university and I took a shower, so I would say that I had a very successful morning/afternoon. At 3 PM guests started coming to our house for the birthday party for my host dad and the younger boy (their birthdays are only one day apart). All of the grandparents were there and both of my host dad’s sisters and their boyfriends were there and the neighbors also came. It was so much fun talking to people and laughing with people and it was such a fun family event and I just felt like I was another member of the family which was really really great. The whole night I felt so happy I wanted to cry! I am definitely lucky with the family I live with and I was so grateful to have such a fun family evening (even if my brain was exhausted from speaking so much German). Tomorrow I will relax, but it will be another good day, I already know!

3 November: It’s currently 11:35 AM on Sunday and I haven’t left my bed once, except to go to the bathroom. I’m planning to leave my bed, but it’s so comfy and it’s a lazy Sunday, so I don’t know that I want to. I did wake up happier today with my bed closer to the window, so I would recommend that to everyone. I’m excited to hang out with my friends this week and to go to Prague on Saturday with Awije. I can’t believe I’ve already been living in Germany for 2 months. It’s going by so quickly, so I’m hoping time slows down a little bit for me, but I might have to stop having fun in order for that to happen. Have a great day everyone, thanks for reading my blog, enjoy the beginning of the happiest time of the year, and most importantly, don’t forget: patience is a virtue.

The short version of what you’re about to read: I lived, I learned, I choir-ed, I theater-ed. I am older and stronger and all around better. I’m #blessed with the #best.

21 October: I woke up and went with my host mom to the government place (which I honestly don’t know the name of in English) to get my au pair visa. This only lasted about 30 minutes so afterwards I rode my bike to the city center and went shopping and I actually bought some clothes at my current favorite European store (C&A). I also got breakfast at a nice bakery called “Der Beck”. Then I rode my bike back home to pick the boys up from kindergarten. We went home and ate lunch together and afterwards I played and read with the older boy and I honestly just spent the entire evening playing with the boys which was really nice! After dinner I rode my bike back to the city center for my theater class and it was a lot of fun! I have already made a friend or two and afterwards some of us went out to a café and got drinks together, so that was good! I felt really nice about having friends, especially ones with similar interests as me.

22 October: I woke up at around 11 am and I just wanted to have a relaxing day, so I showered and I watched Netflix (how I met your mother specifically). Then at 2 pm I went upstairs and Oma Inga was there so I spent time with her and the older boy. We read stories and played for a little while. Then they went outside to do some yard work and I played with the baby. She is such a sweet baby, but she is a fat baby so sometimes I hate carrying her around because it hurts my muscles! When the younger boy woke up from his nap, he was very temperamental. I don’t really remember the events that caused this, but first the baby started crying and Oma Inga tried to comfort her. She kept crying and it kept getting louder and louder, then I wasn’t putting on the younger boys sock correctly so he started screaming and crying, then the older boy could not fit two legos together correctly and HE started crying!! It was not a fun moment for Oma Inga and I. Needless to say, when their mom came back into the room, everything became fine. First, she took the baby and the baby was calm. Then, she put the younger boy’s sock on just the way he wanted it and the younger boy was calm. Then, she helped the older boy with his toy and he was calm. Moms really are quite powerful women. Dads too honestly. After this, I had about an hour of child-less time, so I tidied up the kitchen and living room. For dinner we ate delicious pizza! After dinner, I rode my bike to Bamberg to my friend Megan’s house and I met Vera and Megan there. We went to another big party in Bamberg and we all spent the night at Megan’s apartment. I had such a great time with my friends!

23 October: Vera and I woke up at 7:30 because we both needed to get to class. I rode my bike to the building where my Wednesday morning language class is and I stopped and had breakfast (a banana, a buttered croissant, and some chocolate milk). My language class made me really happy because I kept answering correctly and my teacher is so nice and it feels really good to actually feel like I’m good at speaking German. We spent the day talking about the weather and “small talk” and how different cultures use small talk, so it was really fun and interesting. After my language class, I rode my bike to my lecture that’s entirely in German that I still don’t know what it’s about. For me, it’s a lost cause to understand, so I will attend class, but I won’t have any clue what’s going on. After my lecture, I rode my bike to a third building for my language class. I had some extra time, so I got some hot chocolate at a different student cafeteria. My Wednesday afternoon class is about the culture of Bamberg with the same teacher as earlier. We talked about what we like about Bamberg, what some of the cultural aspects are, and we talked about Bavaria as a whole and some of the important cities in Bavaria. It was a very nice class. I also made friends with a guy from Ireland, who I share a mutual friend with and also a girl from Italy, so that made me pretty happy! After this class, I rode my bike to the city center and I parked it and I got french fries for lunch (my favorite of course) and I looked at some of the stores, but didn’t buy anything. Then, this is starting to get old, but I got a piece of cheesecake and I walked around for a while with the cheesecake. After this, I ended up getting ice cream because I saw amazing flavors: lebkuchen (gingerbread) and caramel. It was very very delicious ice cream! And I was really happy because the lady actually gave me American-sized scoops (a big portion)! Then I rode my bike back to where I had my 8:30 AM class and I took a walk in the park right next to the building complex. Then, I met my friend Awije for coffee at this very cute coffee place. And guess what!!! They had pumpkin spice lattes 🤩 I was so happy! It was also really nice talking to/spending time with Awije. This was also the night of my first choir rehearsal and it went really well! It was a little difficult for me because the director speaks entirely in German, so I can’t always understand what he’s saying or which part of the music we are singing, but it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We are singing Goethe Faust and it’s 178 pages of music! I’m honestly so happy I was accepted into the choir because it feels good to be a part of music making again. I had a really nice day on this fine Wednesday!

24 October: I felt like I didn’t have time to breathe this! I did a lot. I started my day by waking up at 6:45 and showering and getting ready for my day. Then on my way to school,I stopped at the bakery and I got a poppyseed cinnamon bun and some chocolate milk for breakfast. Then I arrived to my class and sat next to my friends from Ireland (their names are Daniel and Courtney, but I don’t think they know my name. I don’t really mind because we have good conversation!). We talked for a while and then the class began. I don’t really like my Thursday German class as much as my Wednesday German class because it is a different teacher and she is significantly harder to understand and much more boring than my Wednesday teacher. I wish I had a cool teacher for my grammar class because that’s probably the most important class for me, and yet I can’t stay awake! My German class gets done at 9:45 and I have a class that begins at 9:55 that is 10 minutes away by bike. Needless to say, I have not arrived to the second class on time either day. My second class is about American Cultural Studies and I like it, but I don’t really care for that teacher either, but the people are nice enough and the class is entirely in English so that’s good. That class gets done at 12:10 and then I had to babysit at 12:30 and it’s a 20 minute bike ride from my class back home, so again, I was very rushed. I babysat the older boy while the younger boy napped and watched an episode of “Dragon Tales” (well he watched, I’m going to be honest and tell you I fell asleep!) and then we read a children’s book about different types of transportation which was fun. Then, I babysat the baby girl and it was kind of hard because she did not, under any circumstances, want to lose sight of her mom. If she couldn’t see her mom anymore, she started to cry. So, I had to hold the baby while her mom raked leaves outside. She needed to fall asleep so my host mom wanted me to take her on a walk, but every time I tried to put the baby in the stroller, she cried and cried. We ended up having to trick her, so her mom pushed her in the stroller in circles until she fell asleep and then the moment the baby shut her eyes, I took control of the stroller and went on a walk. However, when the baby woke up she was very very displeased that I wasn’t her mom. Once we got back home, she was completely fine. We all ate dinner together as a family and the older boy and I had fun eating bread because we would eat a slice and still be hungry and we’d go toast two more slices, I really enjoyed that. I had to babysit this night, so I brought the boys to bed and they wanted me to sing them so many songs, which was honestly nice. I was surprised by how well behaved they were for me when going to bed. All went well. I really enjoy the busy days like this, but I look forward to the less busy days like tomorrow as well.

25 October: This was a more relaxing day. I was able to sleep in which I really needed. I rode my bike about 12 minutes away to the shopping mall by my house and I got cheesecake and looked at h and m. Then I went to a cosmetic type of store and I bought face masks for my ladies night with Vera that would be happening in the evening. I also went to the grocery store to pick up some groceries for ladies night and to bake some muffins for the family breakfast we are having Sunday. I was really excited because I found a type of limited edition type of ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s that is about accepting people from other cultures and it’s called “melting pott” and so I ate the entire pint for lunch 😅. After that I watched “how I met your mother” and I took a short nap. Then at 3:30 I went upstairs and I played with the younger boy for a while and then I went on a beautiful walk with the baby at the lake by our house as the sun set and it was so nice! We walked for an hour which was really relaxing. Then, when I came back home, I played with the two boys and we ate dinner together. I brought them to bed and they were being a little misbehaved which really frustrated me at the time, but it honestly wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. I really like how much they want me to sing to them and even if they ask me to sing a million songs, that’s not really so bad. After I put the kids to bed, I rode my bike to my friend Vera’s apartment for ladies night and it was so much fun!! We ate pizza and did face masks and watched movies and it was just such a good time and made me happy.

26 October: A fun day! I woke up and Vera and I just talked and hung out until I had to leave at 10:30. I rode my bike to the Bamberg Cathedral and I met up with the members of my culture class and my teacher. He told us all about the cathedral and the surrounding areas and their significance in Bamberg’s history and culture. Something interesting that I learned is that Bamberg actually once was the capital of Germany. Of course this was a very very long time ago, but still very interesting. We also got to hear an organ concert in the cathedral which was boring but I can appreciate the artisticness. Afterwards, I rode my bike back to the city center and got lunch and I met back up with my friend Vera and we went shopping together. I actually spent some more money on myself which was what I like to call, self care! (And feeding the shopping addiction) Afterwards I went home and I made the muffins for Sunday mornings breakfast and I did my laundry and I actually got to FaceTime Chloe for an entire hour which was really great and made me so happy to see and talk to my best friend. I babysat the boys from 6 pm-8 pm and then they went to bed, so nothing really excited or dramatic happened during that time, thankfully. From 8 pm-9 pm, I helped my host parents set up for the breakfast we are hosting Sunday morning for my host dad’s colleague and her family. I went to bed early and all-in-all I would say it was a pretty good day!

27 October: We had the breakfast this morning and it went really well. Everybody liked my muffins (of course)! The colleague of my host dad also has an au pair from Montana and she is really nice so I got to spend a lot of time talking to and getting to know her. She is really sweet so I think she will be a good friend. We went on a walk together with our host babies and we joked about being teen moms. It was really cute. I’m exhausted now, but I’m so happy with this week. I’m so active and I feel great about all of my activities and the social life I am building for myself. I’m glad things are coming together so nicely. I feel so happy here in Germany and I can’t believe I arrived in Europe 2 months ago!