The short version of what you’re about to read: I started my classes at the university and I enjoy them very much. I will be fluent in German in no time. I’m enjoying my time with great friends and all-in-all, I’m just happy in Germany.

14 October: I woke up and ate my breakfast and then I ironed the family’s clothes. It went by so much faster than last time, so I was pretty proud of myself. After I finished the ironing, I cleaned my entire apartment. I vacuumed, scrubbed; pretty much all the grown up stuff. After this, the boys came home and we ate apple pancakes for lunch which tasted very nice. Then I read some books with the older boy and we played for a while. This was technically my day off from babysitting, but I didn’t really mind spending a little bit of time with the boys. After this I rode my bike into the city center and I wanted to get myself a german SIM card for my phone but I needed my German residency form and my passport to do that and I had neither of those things, so I couldn’t get the card. Instead, I did some shopping, walked around, got coffee, that sort of stuff. I basically just stalled for a few hours until it was time for dinner. For dinner I ate a nice pizza restaurant that I’ve been told is “the best pizza in Bamberg” and it was really tasty! Then I had my first theater meeting and it was so much fun! It is an English speaking theater group and I am the only native English speaker. There were 2 girls from China, 3 girls from Russia, 1 girl from Japan, 1 girl from Venezuela, and then me. The rest of the people were German and out of the 25 of us, there were only 2 boys! It was also really weird because the age range was so broad. Everyone was from 18 to almost 30 years old. One of the Russian girls had already been married for 4.5 years! After the theater meeting I was going to go to the club, but I decided not to because of my choir audition Tuesday. (Even though I’m trying to be a yes woman, it was wiser to go home)

15 October: I woke up and I rode my bike to the bakery and I had some chocolate milk and a vanilla strudel. (It was delicious). Then I rode my bike into the city for my choir audition! I was right on time and it went really well. The director was so nice and he said I have a beautiful voice and he said my choir in the US must have been “quite nice”. Which I agree it was. Afterwards, I went to Vodaphone and I got my German SIM card and then I just kind of dinked around the stores and I got pumpkin ice cream and cheesecake and that kind of stuff (of course). Then I rode my bike back home and I watched Netflix for a while. After that I picked up the older boy from kindergarten and we went home and played for a while. Then, I went with the older boy to soccer practice. He threw a big rock at a kid’s head and I didn’t really know what to do, so I just kind of comforted the kid, but I forget most other children don’t speak English so I probably was not very comforting. After that we went home and ate dinner and then I went to bed to prepare for my early class on Wednesday.

16 October: I woke up so early for my first 8 am class. I ended up arriving 30 minutes early, but i was glad to be early instead of late. My first class was German free speech and writing and there were about 23 of us from all different countries. I met lots of new people and I really like my teacher! Afterwards, I walked with a friend who I made from Russia 25 minutes to my next class because our class was in the same building. I arrived at my lecture and I wasn’t exactly sure what the lecture was about and to be honest with you, I still don’t know. The entire lecture was in German and I couldn’t keep my eyes open! I didn’t understand anything, so thankfully it’s a class I’m just taking for fun and it doesn’t actually matter. After this class I walked to my third and final class of the day which is about the culture of Bamberg. The class is taught by the same teacher from my 8 AM. I’m so excited because they go on many field trips to learn about the culture in Bamberg and we talk about the food, the people, and the general life in Bamberg and Franconia. After this class, I just walked around the city center, did some shopping, I spent 1 hour at the library and then I got dinner at a fast food place. Something embarrassing that happened was that I was on my phone at the restaurant and I ended up falling asleep at the table! I woke up when this girl asked if she could steal a chair from my table. I just must have been so exhausted. After this I met up with my friend Mark from Ireland and we got hot chocolate and walked around the city center. It was a great day of classes!

17 October: I woke up early again for my 8 am class and I took a shower. I was so tired. It’s cold in the mornings when I have to ride my bike the 20 minutes it takes to get to class, but I fear it will only get colder. I know it will only get colder. When I arrived at my language class, there were only a few seats left, so I chose one of the only open ones. Little did I know that that class would end up being so full that there were more people than chairs. It was unfortunate because the teacher had to tell people they couldn’t come to class. This was my German grammar class and I didn’t like the teacher as much as I did the one the day before, but she was still nice. She was slightly harder to understand, but I’m glad to have two different teachers so I am hearing two different ways of speaking. After this class was over, I rode my bike 10 minutes away to my next class which is called “Introduction to American Cultural Studies”. I was surprised when I arrived because I found out that there was so much reading that I was supposed to do before the first day of class. I am withheld from a lot of information because I am not a real student. She asked us to pull out the text or our devices with the text on it, but I had neither of those things! So I just got out my phone and pretended to read something on there. I was so embarrassed, especially in the small group discussion. Thankfully, I spent most of high school not reading for my English class (my apologies for insulting English teachers everywhere) so I am used to faking my scholarly thoughts. After this class I came home and I read to the older boy for 2 whole hours! He also watches “Dragon Tales” now (per my recommendation), but as we were watching it together, I kept falling asleep! Later, we played outside because the weather had gone from cold to beautiful. The younger boy practiced riding a bike with pedals and the older boy just ran around with me. The two boys and I also went on a very very short walk around the block that seemed to last the entire night because of slow feet (not mine). We ate dinner together and I read to the boys before their mom put them to bed. After they were in bed, I rode my bike 20 minutes back to Bamberg to meet my friend and hang out with her. I didn’t really want to go and I was praying she’d cancel because I was tired, but I was so glad I went and that I got to spend time with her and we decided on November we are going to Prague!

18 October: I was fairly lazy this day. I woke up at like 9 and ate breakfast, but then I ended up falling back asleep and now waking up until 3:30 in the afternoon. It was honestly quite nice to catch up on sleep after two days of classes. Afterwards I went upstairs and the younger boy felt very sick and it made me so sad! He was just lying on the couch and coughing and so I sat next to him and held his hand. Then the older boy and I rode our bikes to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread for dinner. It was really fun because it was the first time we had gone out somewhere with just the two of us. Afterwards, we went home and played for a while and then we ate dinner. After dinner I read stories to the boys before they went to sleep. My friends had invited me to go to the biggest university party of the year (approx. 500-600 people) with them and I thought I probably wouldn’t go, but my host parents encouraged me to go and be around people my own age, and as usual, I was really glad I went. I had SO much fun! The only part that wasn’t fun was in the line to get into the building, so many people were pushing and shoving their way in that it was very difficult to stand. My friend Vera and I almost weren’t able to get in because we didn’t have our student ID’s, but thankfully they let us in because we were with our other friend Meg, who did have her ID. There were so many people at this party and I will spare the details, but it was so much fun! I spent the night at Vera’s apartment because she lived 7 minutes away and I didn’t want to ride my bike 20 minutes home. It was so nice and a great Friday night.

19 October: This was a recovery day! I woke up at 7:00 in the morning and rode my bike back to my house. When I got home, I showered and got ready for the day. Then I ate breakfast with my family (amazing breads from the bakery of course) and I played with the boys for about an hour. It was so nice! Then I went to sleep at 12 and I woke up at 5 pm because I needed to catch up on sleep of course! Oma Inga and Opa Gunther were there and we ate a very nice dinner together! Afterwards, my host parents had a show to go to, so Oma, Opa, and I babysat the kids. We read stories to the boys and then we did the bedtime rituals (teeth brushing, putting on pajamas, singing lullabies, the works). After the kids were asleep, I stayed up for another 2 hours talking to Oma and Opa. They are very nice.

20 October: Today I got in a little bit of trouble because I had forgotten to get my photo taken for my visa. Thankfully, I was able to go to the train station and the photo booth there to get the picture. So, now I’m at McDonald’s at the train station, writing my blog. I feel very happy to live in Germany and I think I may struggle a little bit to balance school, friends, and work, but I know everything will fall perfectly into place. I’m still very happy living in Germany and I’m very happy with my new friends. Today the weather is beautiful and it’s just a nice day to be in Germany. I’m excited for the coming weeks, my trip to Prague next month, and to (hopefully) celebrate Halloween in a great way!

The short version of what you’re about to read: I was very lazy this week, this blog post is just sprinkled with some funny stories so you can skim to read those. Also October 10th was my 19th birthday, so if your interested in reading about that, please feel free to skip ahead.

7 October: This was a rest day/readjustment day for me. I woke up to the sound of “Avery…Avery…Avery” coming from outside my door. It was the 2 year old. Usually they’re not allowed to come downstairs (there’s even a gate to prevent it from happening), but the older boy had dropped a ball down to the basement so they both came down. The 2 year old refused to go to kindergarten unless I came too, so I obliged. Not because I’m a pushover, but because I was kind of happy to be back home. So I walked them to kindergarten and when I came home I just relaxed and laid in bed, and I was honestly just very very lazy. I had to pick the boys up from kindergarten at 12 and it took us 30 minutes to actually leave the kindergarten. They had to put their shoes on and we had to watch the construction workers and then we had to go back because the 2 year old forgot something and it was honestly just such a long process. When we finally got home, we played for a while and then we ate noodle soup for lunch. Then I hung out with the boys for a while and then we ate dinner of bread and cheese. Afterwards I went out for ice cream with my friend Bernhard and I went home and went to sleep.

8 October: This was another rainy day in Bamberg. I woke up and ate breakfast kind of late and then I took the bus for the first time! I went to the mall and got lunch at a pizza place and I also took some cheese cake to go. Also on this adventure I found a little “USA shop” that had snacks from American like kraft Mac and cheese, pop tarts, Hershey chocolate, Reese’s, all kinds of good stuff and it made me so happy! Of course it was all more expensive than in the US, but it made me happy to have a bit of home in Bamberg. The bus ride home was so weird for me because there were so many young kids riding the bus with their backpacks because the schools in Germany don’t provide transportation, the children just take the public transport when school is over. When I got home, I took a nap because I felt very tired and then I picked up the older boy from kindergarten. Then we went home and played for a while and then it was time to go to kinderturnen with the younger boy. Kinderturnen is basically like children’s gymnastics, but there really isn’t any true structure, it’s just a large group of kids who haven’t quite learned to use their legs yet wobbling around and their parents assisting. We went there and played for one hour and then we came home and played for a while and ate dinner and then it was 7:30 PM and I was ready for bed. I don’t know why I was so exhausted this day, maybe still recovering from Vienna, who knows, but it was a good day regardless.

9 October: This day was so uneventful, I realized I didn’t even bother to write about it. I’m sure I ate chocolate or took a nap or something like that.

10 October: It was my 19th birthday!! When I went upstairs in the morning my host dad and opa Kalli and oma Edith sang happy birthday to me, it was really cute. Opa and Oma gave me their birthday present from them. Then we sat around and talked for a while. Then the three of us went for a walk and then it was time to pick up the boys from kindergarten. We spent time playing outside together and we ate lunch (the tradition German onion cake again) and then I went down into my room and watched “how I met your mother” for about 2.5 hours. It was honestly very relaxing. After that, it was time for us to go to my birthday dinner and we went to a really delicious Italian restaurant with an all you can eat buffet. After I had all I could eat, my stomach hurt really bad and I thought I might throw up. I was so conflicted had committed myself to go to a Bamberg buddies event which is a group for American and German students to meet up and just have a good time, but after eating so much food I thought maybe I would just go home and watch more Netflix. Thankfully, I decided to put my sick feelings aside and power through. I recently watched the movie “yes man”, so I felt inspired to say yes to good opportunities like the Bamberg Buddies. So, after dinner with the family, I went to the bar where the buddies were meeting and we had such a good time! I met a lot of nice people and there was karaoke and after I sang my song (Material Girl by Madonna, of course) everyone was like “oh my gosh! You’re actually so good at singing” and I felt amazing! After I sang, two of the girls at the meet up asked me if I wanted to go party and I wasn’t really sure about it, but it was my 19th birthday, so I decided to be a yes woman and I agreed to party, for the first time. We went to the club and my ID was actually checked by a bouncer which was very weird for me! He told me “Happy Birthday” which was so kind. I’m not much of a “party girl” so I knew full well I couldn’t drink much of anything at all because of the 20 minute bike ride I would have at the end of the night. It was a lot of fun and I had such a good time with my new girlfriends. Also, everyone was so excited about my birthday which made me even more excited about my birthday. Honestly, this was such a good night and such an amazing entryway into the next year of my life. It was a wonderful first birthday abroad. There are pictures from these evening somewhere, but they haven’t been posted yet, so I have to wait until then. Also, here is a funny story from this day: in the morning I had received my birthday present from oma and opa and part of that was a bag full of individually wrapped lindt chocolates. When we were at dinner Opa Kalli said something along the lines of “you can’t eat all your birthday chocolate the day you get it, that’s bad luck!” Little did he know that earlier that day, when I was watching how I met your mother, I ate all my birthday chocolate! Needless to say, I had no bad luck.

11 October: On my birthday I didn’t go to sleep until 4 AM so I spent most of this day exhausted! I woke up and ate breakfast, I showered, I moped around and I watched how I met your mother and I did my laundry and I even took a short nap. The morning sort of flew by to my surprise, so that was really nice. At 3:45 I went for a walk with the baby and it was beautiful weather and she slept so nicely for an entire hour. I also learned that I am able to continuously hum the tune to “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” for one hour straight in order to keep a baby asleep! After the walk, I played with the boys and it was really nice because they didn’t fight for a long time. When a fight did finally break out, there was horrific screaming coming from both parties. Legos were thrown, heads were punched, it was brutal. Luckily their mom came down to deal with the fight and I just got to play with the sweet baby. After we ate dinner, I got to read stories to the boys before they went to bed and the three of us were all nice and cuddled up on the couch and it made me really happy.

12 October: This was a good day! I woke up and I met one of my new friends from the Bamberg buddies for coffee! We get along really well and she is so nice. It was so nice having another friend to talk to in Bamberg! After this I went back home and I packed my things to get ready because we were going to a birthday party in Wipfeld for my host mom’s cousin. At 11 we left and then we arrived at Oma Inga and Opa Gunther’s house. Unfortunately they’re on holidays so they weren’t at home, but we spent the afternoon there, playing with toys and having fun. At 5, we went to the party and sometimes I struggle at parties with adults because of the language barrier and everything, but this one wasn’t so bad because I was just able to go upstairs and play with the kids. This birthday party also had amazing desserts, so that made me very happy. Cheesecake, apple strudel, pudding, lemon muffins, it was like heaven for my sweet tooth. We went home at about 8 PM and the kids went to bed and I stayed at the house, so my host parents could go back to the party. They were gone for 2.5 hours and none of the kids woke up, not even the baby! That’s what I call good luck for me!

13 October: It’s Sunday and we’ve done quite a bit so far. We woke up and had a delicious breakfast from the bakery, we played at Oma and Opas and then we went to a playground and played on there for an hour or so. Now we are at Opa Kalli and Oma Edith’s house, but they aren’t here. I’m relaxing in my room here because it is my break time.

I’m so excited for this week because I start school! Monday I have theater, Tuesday I have my choir audition, Wednesday I have 2 language classes and choir, Thursday I have another language class, and a class on British and American cultural studies, and then Friday I just get to relax. Even though I was lazy this week, I felt so thankful that I get to be lazy in Germany! Not many Americans can say that they almost a whole week of lazy days while living in Germany. I had a wonderful 19th birthday and I’m so thankful for the friends I made and the good times I had. Here’s to the next year of my life and for the adventures that are headed my way.

The short version of what you’re about to read: Honestly there’s no easy way to shorten this. I did SO much this entire week. I took a day trip in Germany and I travelled to Vienna and saw so many amazing sights like the Mozart house, the Spanish arising School, a location where Hitler gave one of his famous speeches, the Austrian National Library, and many many other places! Of course to get the full effect, you will have to read, but this blog does not have any dull moments!

30 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and I rode my bike into the city center. I went to one of my favorite department-type stores in Europe called C&A and I bought a new pair of shoes and 4 pairs of socks. Then I went to Dunkin’ Donuts and I got a vanilla cappuccino. Afterwards, I went to Würzburg which is a town about 1 hour away from Bamberg. It is a slightly larger town that looks more modern than Bamberg due to the fact that it had to be completely rebuilt after destruction from World War 2. I went to two very unique churches that had white walls and were very simple in design. I found the minimalism to be beautiful. I also went to the famous “Residenz” which is a palace that once housed many important figures in Würzburg’s history and I hiked up to another castle that I honestly don’t know the name of. It took me about 25 minutes to get there. The view was very gorgeous and the overlook onto the city of Würzburg was gorgeous. After my walk I, of course, needed to have some delicious ice cream. When I got back to Bamberg, I had dinner at a fast-ish food restaurant and then I rode my bike back home. I relaxed and then went to bed!

The ResidenzFlowers in the CastleView of Würzburg from the CastleView of Würzburg from the Castle

The Castle I Hiked Up To

1 October: At the beginning of this day I made a list of 5 things that I needed to do before the day was over. By the end of the day, I had only done one of those things. However, this was still a very good day. I woke up early, naturally and then I ate a bowl of cereal. I took a shower, chilled for a while, and then I rode my bike to the mall. I got a cappuccino and a piece of cheesecake and then I walked around the stores. I didn’t buy anything. (Yay for saving money!) Then I went and searched for spice cake mix to make pumpkin muffins but I couldn’t find any, so then I didn’t really know what to do with my day, but I decided to ride my bike to the city center because I was already out and about. So I rode my bike there and I did some more shopping. I walked into H and M 4 different times this day and I ended up shopping for 5 hours without buying a single thing! (Again, yay for saving money!) I wanted to maybe buy some clothes for my Vienna trip but I couldn’t quite commit to anything, so I just kept my wallet in my pocket. I did get a delicious crepe from a truck that was made with kinder egg chocolate and I also bought some french fries from the vegan truck that were made from bio-potatoes, whatever that means. I rode my bike home and then I relaxed, packed for Vienna, and had some alone time. Then I ended up riding back to the city center to get ice cream with my friend Mark from Ireland which was fun. I ate really well this day. It was a good day.

My Crêpe

My Steps Already Have Autumn Leaves!

2 October: This was a travel day for me! I woke up and spent a little bit of time with my host family and then I rode my bike to the train station and I finally found my pumpkin spice latte! It was at McDonald’s, who would’ve thought! It was nothing compared to Starbucks, of course, but it was still delicious and it made me very happy! My train ride to Vienna consisted of 3 changes and lasted about 6.5 hours. I felt very proud because I successfully rode the train by myself with no complications. When I arrived in Vienna I took an uber from the train station to our Air BnB. The Air BnB is so cute and it’s in a gorgeous building. I hung out there for about an hour and then Britt arrived!! We got settled in and then we went for dinner. We wanted to go to this Austrian place, but they were full so we made reservations for the next evening. Then we walked around for a little while and we got dinner at this really cute restaurant in an alleyway with hanging umbrellas. Afterwards, I got ice cream and we walked around some more. I was so happy to be in Vienna!

Train Ride Views in AustriaThe Umbrella StreetOur Air BnB

3 October: This was such an AMAZING day! We woke up and got ready for the day. Then we went to Aldi (which is named Hofer in Austria) and it is literally 10 steps away from our air bnb and we got breakfast there. Then we walked to this cute little walk up called the “Fenster Cafe” (window cafe) and I got an Oreo latte that was DELCIOUS! Then we sat on a bench for a while and we never figured out why, but young people wearing clown noses kept coming up to us and asking us for money. We walked around for a while and then met at the Albertina Square for the free walking tour. It was such a nice tour and our tour guide was so nice and she was very knowledgeable. I think there were about 30 people in our group, which is to be expected with a free tour. It was a little crowded, but we made sure to stay close to the guide so we could hear all the information. We were able to see a lot of the highlights of Vienna in just 2.5 hours. Something I thought was very interesting that we saw was a place where Hitler once stood and gave a speech in 1938. Our tour guide also gave us information on different buildings and statues that Britt and I would not have known otherwise. We were so thankful to have done this tour. Afterwards we stopped and had a warm drink (it was quite a cold day) and we each had a slice of “sachertorte” which is a traditional Viennese chocolate cake. Then, we took an Uber to the Danube tower which was this huge tower and at the top there was a cafe that turned and gave us the most beautiful view of Vienna from all angles (see pictures). Britt is scared of heights so I was SO happy that she put her fear aside so I could enjoy the amazing view. It was so pretty and it made me so happy! After this we took another Uber and we went to St. Stephens Cathedral. We had passed it earlier on the walking tour, but wanted to see the inside of it. It was so gorgeous and serene on the inside. We also went to probably the fanciest H&M I have ever been to and they were having a sale where everything in the store was 20% off. Then, we went to the Austrian National Library which was interesting and honestly just good to have said I saw it and it was beautiful. After this we walked back to the apartment (about 30 minutes) and we got ready for dinner. We ate at a traditional Austria restaurant Britt had schnitzel and I had pumpkin gnocchi) and it was AMAZING! It tasted so great and all of the staff was so nice. Then we walked back to the apartment and just chilled. We walked 9.6 miles this day and it was so worth every step!

The Fenster Café (One of the top 50 coffee places in the world)

Outside Hofburg Palace

Sacher Torte and Warm Drinks

The observation deck and the Danube Tower

View From the at the Danube Tower

Britt and I at the Danube Tower

Outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Inside the Austrian National Library

4 October: This probably was the most beautiful day of our trip, the weather was perfect! We woke up and got ready in the morning and we went to a cafe by our house called “Café Zartl”. I had some of the most delicious pancakes for breakfast. Then we rode the rentable electric scooters to the amusement park, “Prater”. It was very interesting because it was free to get into the park, you just have to pay for each individual ride. We walked around there for a while and when we first got there, not many of the rides were open. We were able to go on a ghost train ride that was like a haunted house ride and it was so stupid because it was not scary at all, but we both really enjoyed it. To kill some time before the rest of the rides opened, we rented bikes and went for a short bike ride through the park. We only rode for 30 minutes, but it was gorgeous weather for a bike ride. After this we rode on a roller coaster that was so weird because you sit on your stomach for it, it was a lot of fun. Then we went on the iconic “Prater Giant Ferris Wheel”. Again, Britt is afraid of heights, so it was very kind of her to conquer her fear for my enjoyment. The view was as gorgeous as I expected, if not more. After the Ferris wheel ride, we ate lunch at a restaurant called the “roller coaster restaurant”. Your food arrives from a “roller coaster” and it was so cool because you can see that the food and drinks are placed on the track by a robot and then it rushes down to you. For dessert I had a delicious ice cream with caramel and pumpkin seeds. After lunch, we walked to the home of Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart. He lived in Vienna for much of his adult life, but he changed apartments many many times during his Viennese life. The Mozart House in Vienna is the only one of the apartments still preserved. We learned a lot about the history of Mozart and his life. He composed many of his most famous works in this house like “The Marriage of Figero”. It was a very cool experience and I learned much more about Mozart than I ever thought I would. After this, we walked to a cafe near the university and I had hot chocolate and delicious cheese curd strudel. Then we walked 45 minutes back to the apartment and we stopped to get chocolate for Britt’s boyfriend as well. For dinner we went to the Aldi (which again, is called Hofer in Austria) and we bought ingredients to make spaghetti for dinner in the air bnb. At first, we couldn’t figure out how to use the stove and we were so embarrassed! It took us such a long time but after strenuous button pushing, we figured it out. We spent the evening eating, playing Quixx and just hanging out. It was a really great day/evening.

Delicious Pancakes at Café Zartl

On the Electric Scooter

From the Ghost Train Ride

In the Giant Ferris Wheel

The Entrance to Mozart’s Apartment

The ceiling in what is presumed to be Mozart’s bedroom

5 October: We slept in until 9 and we ate breakfast at the Air BnB. We had bread with Gouda cheese, it was delicious! After breakfast we walked to the shopping mall that was about 7 minutes away from our apartment. We shopped there for a while and then we went to Starbucks for pumpkin spice lattes! (How could we resist?) It was delicious and perfect for the colder weather. We took the underground to the Schönbrunn Palace and we couldn’t believe how easy and inexpensive it was to take it. It took us 30 seconds and €2,50 and we were good! When we arrived at the palace we spent some time in the courtyard taking pictures and just admiring the beauty. The tickets to actually tour and go inside of the palace were pretty expensive so we didn’t actually get to see anything except for the outside. After we were done at the castle, we took the underground back towards the city center and we did some more shopping on a very popular shopping street. By the time we got there it was raining quite a bit, but luckily we both had umbrellas. I am unashamed to say that we ate at McDonald’s for lunch to save some money. When we were done eating we needed to walk again and it started POURING rain! It was raining on us so hard and our shoes and socks became soaking wet. We were sad, but our spirits weren’t broken! We arrived at the Spanish Riding School within 20 minutes and we had some time to sit at the cafe before our tour started. I don’t really know how to explain what the Spanish Riding School is, so I googled it for us. “The Spanish Riding School is an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, based in Vienna, Austria, whose performances in the Hofburg are also a tourist attraction.” On our tour we were able to go into the stables and see the horses and learn a little bit about them. One interesting fact we learned is that white stallions are born darker and turn white as they age. We also learned about where the horses get their names and how each one is selected and trained. It was interesting to learn about this iconic tourist attraction. Afterwards we walked to an ice cream place that had a huge sign that claimed it was the best ice cream in the world, but Britt and I weren’t completely sure how true that was. Even so, you can hardly ever go wrong with ice cream. Afterwards we walked back to the apartment feeling sooo tired! For dinner we went to this weird Turkish place that had pizza and it was actually really well priced for as much food as we got! It was very nice and pleasant. It’s kind of sad having to pack our things, but we saw so much during our trip. I had such an amazing time in Vienna and thankfully I still have one more breakfast on Sunday! 🙂

Us and our Pumpkin Spice Lattes 🙂

In front of the Schönbrunn Palace

I call this one “It Might Rain”

It did rain!

Inside the Spanish Riding School

The “Worlds Best Ice Cream” (probably not)

6 October: Now it’s Sunday and I’m sitting in the train station awaiting my departure. I had such an amazing time in Vienna and I know that I will always cherish this trip because it was my first vacation whilst living in Europe! Today I got another pumpkin spice latte. This will probably be another good day.

I have a lot to be excited for in the coming weeks. This week I will turn 19 and the week after my university classes will start and of course, one day soon I will start planning my next vacation! I’m so thankful for the life that I’m living and I’m so excited about the adventures that come with each new day.

As always, thanks for reading! If you’d like to see more photos, please check out my album on Facebook.

The short version of what you’re about to read: I eat a lot of sweets, shamelessly. I babysat a lot and did some shopping. Honestly, this week wasn’t too eventful, but there are a lot of moments where I am “happy” or “excited” so if you hit ctrl+F on your computer, you can just type in excited or happy and go straight to those moments! You’re welcome.

23 September: I woke up and rode my bike to the mall that is right by my house and it’s awesome! I went to the h and m there and it’s much bigger than the one in the city center, so that made me very very happy! The mall also has a coffee shop/bakery that has DELICIOUS cheesecake and coffee and they give you free pretzels on the table! I also went to Aldi and it’s much more than the one at home. (Probably because Aldi originates from Europe.) I didn’t really have much money on me so I just bought some yogurt. Afterwards I went home and I hung out with the older boy while the younger boy napped. Then the older boy had a play date so I watched the baby while my host mom supervised all of the boys. I went on a walk with the baby and she fell asleep which was great, but she ended up waking up when I stopped to pick up some vegetables. She cried for so long, but sometimes you just have to cry. When I got back, the mom took the baby and I went upstairs to play with the younger boy. He told me to go away and that he didn’t want to play with me, but I somehow managed to make him laugh and then we played together just fine! For dinner we ate traditional German onion cake that is a common meal for this time of year. It was delicious! After dinner I tried to go to an improv show that I was very excited about, but the address on Google was incorrect, so I ended up trespassing in somebody’s backyard. Thankfully they didn’t see me, but it was dark and I was so frustrated that I just got ice cream and went home.

24 September: I woke up and got myself ready and then I rode my bike into the city center where I met my host dad to register for my university classes. As I was waiting for him outside the registration office, I met a girl from France and she was so nice and she also just moved here, so I felt very good about making that friend! I registered for my classes very easily and I also got a library card. Then I got a piece of cheesecake from the bakery and I also went to Dunkin Donuts in search of the pumpkin spice latte. Unfortunately, they didn’t have it, but I got a cappuccino that tasted great. I walked around and did some shopping and I bought a pair of pants that were on clearance. I checked out one of the thrift stores in my town, but I didn’t really like the prices so I left empty handed. After this I went home and I picked up the older boy from kindergarten. After this we played with toy cars for about 45 minutes and then I went with my host mom, the baby, and the younger boy to his children’s gymnastics class. I went on a walk with the baby and she slept for a while and when she woke up, she didn’t cry until we were almost back to the sport building so I could pick her up and walk around with her so she wouldn’t have to keep crying. I was so proud that I was able to successfully watch her for over an hour all by myself! When we got home we played for a little while and then we ate dinner and I read a few stories to the older boy and then I went to bed. It was a good day!

25 September: I woke up early this day so I could FaceTime with my friend, Alaina who is going to college in Arizona. Then I ate breakfast, relaxed for a short while, then I rode my bike into the city center. I got two scoops of ice cream at one place and it tasted great, but then I walked past another place and I saw that they had pumpkin ice cream and I was SO excited! So, I went and dinked around in a few stores for maybe an hour and then I went back to that place and I got two scoops of pumpkin ice cream. I could’ve only gotten one scoop, but would that have been fair to the pumpkin ice cream? I don’t think so. It’s autumn anyways! After this, I rode my bike home and I was home for one minute when I heard screaming coming from upstairs. All three of the kids were crying and being an au pair, I have learned that these kinds of moments are inevitable when raising kids. I took care of the baby, and eventually the older boy came downstairs to play with us. The younger boy was still upset, but eventually he behaved. When it was time for the older boy to go to music school, I was left alone with the younger boy and it went completely fine! We played with duplo blocks and nobody cried! I was so thankful. For dinner we ate pumpkin soup and I put the boys to bed for the first time. The mom had to go to an event at the kindergarten so this was my first time watching all three kids at once, even if they were asleep. I was so nervous they were going to wake up the whole time!

26 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and I just relaxed in my room until Oma and Opa came over around 12 and we all ate lunch together. Oma and Opa wanted to carve pumpkins with the boys and I was so excited because I thought I would get to carve one too, but I didn’t. I think that’s just what it means to be a grown up or something optimistic like that. I still enjoyed helping the boys carve theirs! After this I played with the boys and the baby and we had a lot of fun! We all ate dinner together and then Opa Kalli and both of my host dad’s sisters came over. I really like his sister, Anne, because she is so nice! I put the boys to bed by myself again and it went really well. Nothing else really happened this day.

27 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and then I rode my bike to the grocery store and bought an iced coffee and two Milka bars (a healthy lunch). I relaxed for a while and and took a nap because I was so tired for some reason. Then I went upstairs and ate some vegetable waffles that Anne had made. Then I hung out with Anne and the older boy. I have to reiterate that Anne is just so cool, I really like her. After this the older boy had to go to a birthday party so I was watching the baby and she fell asleep in my arms in the most uncomfortable position! It was agony. When my host mom got home, my arms were shaking and I was sweating and she took the baby from me. I hung out with the younger boy and we talked about kindergarten and we shared some apple slices, it was very nice. We played with toy trains for a while and then it was time to go to English playgroup! English playgroup was not very enjoyable to put it plainly. The teacher put out toys for all of the kids so they all fought over the toys instead of focusing on her. We sang some songs, but it seemed to me that the parents were more interested than the kids. The teacher also attempted to read Fox in Socks, but none of the kids paid attention. There was also this crazy little girl who kept trying to touch the baby and then she pulled some of her hair out! My host mom was so mad. When we came home, we ate bread and cheese and then it was time for bed.

28 September: This was a very rainy day. I woke up and ate a big breakfast with the kids. Saturdays and Sundays are the best days because we get bread and Nutella instead of sugarless cereal. After breakfast we brushed our teeth and then we played for a while with blocks. This was a hard day because the boys fought and fought and fought. It was very taxing on me because they just could not keep their hands to themselves! Thankfully after lunch I was able to take a break and have a short nap. Afterwards, I woke up and everybody put their rain gear on. Rain pants, rain jacket, rain boots, everything. We went on a bike ride in the rain which was very fun! They showed me this beautiful lake right by our house and I wish I had brought my phone with me to take a picture because it was gorgeous! I enjoyed it very much. By the time we arrived home, it was time for dinner and after dinner it was time for bed. This day went by quickly.

29 September: Now I am on vacation. I woke up and I didn’t feel very good, so I ended up sleeping until 2 PM. It’s 3 PM right now and I’m still in my jammies and just finished breakfast. It’s not so bad though, I have a lot planned for this week! It is very essential to have some relaxation days or else I would go crazy! My next blog post will also have many more pictures, so please, look forward to that.

The short version of what you’re about to read: I made three new friends this week! One from northern Germany, one from Ireland, and one from Oklahoma in America. I ate a lot of ice cream, but it made me so happy to have some interaction with people my own age! I also met three new people from France, but they were all adults (you’ll have to read further to get the details). In addition to that, I toured the catacombs in my city and I went on a carriage ride in another German city. Also, pretty much everyday I wake up and eat breakfast.

16 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and then I went to the grocery store and I bought coffee and chocolate bars. Three, two caramel and one Oreo flavored. They are called Milka bars and they are the most addictive chocolate bars I have ever eaten, which is why I ate all three of them on this day! When the kids came home from kindergarten we ate lunch on the back porch and then we went inside and the older boy and I listened to music and read some story books. This was the first day that I had to babysit both boys by myself with no parents at home and it went GREAT! We played together for three hours and nobody cried, not even me! I was very proud of myself for this. We played with cars, ran around, jumped on the bed, and read more books. I was honestly surprised it went so smoothly.

17 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and I honestly just spent this whole morning relaxing. I tried to plan some trips for the future and I went to the bakery and the grocery store. I ate a pretzel and I also bought three more Milka chocolate bars (which I also ate all of this day.) At home I drank coffee, watched Netflix, and talked to my mom on the phone for a while. Then I rode my bike to pick the older boy up from kindergarten and when we got home I was left alone with the baby girl for the first time for one hour. It was fine in the beginning, but eventually she started crying and so we went for a walk and it was going well, but then she started crying again and she didn’t stop until her mama came home. We ate dinner as a family and then I went to my room, relaxed, and wrote some letters.

18 September: This is where my week started to pick up. I woke up, ate breakfast, and then I went to the post offie and the bank to have a meeting to set up my debit account. (I would later get this account locked when I tried to set up my online banking at home.) Afterwards, I rode my bike to the city center and I did a little bit of shopping. I met someone for coffee who I had met on a page for people who are new to my city and want to make friends. We talked a lot about our cultural differences and how nice our town is. It was nice to feel like I had a friend who wasn’t four years old. I ate french fries from a truck for lunch this day. When I got home, I talked to my mom again. After I picked the older boy up from kindergarten we played games on the trampoline for a few hours. Then the mom, the older boy, and I rode our bikes to this garage that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. It was really strange to me that there is just an expectation that people will actually pay the correct amount for the food and not just steal it because no one is watching. After dinner, I went down to my room and relaxed.

19 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and then I rode my bike to the bank to fix my account that I locked the previous day. I just relaxed until the boys came home and then I played with the older boy for a few hours while the younger one napped. Then the Grandparents Edith and Kallie (different from the ones last weekend) came to pick up the kids and take them to their home in Schweinfurt. We talked with them for maybe 25 minutes and then they left. After this, the mother showed me how to use their iron and gave me the pile of clothes I needed to iron. It was this day that I realized how much I hate to iron and how bad I am at it. I spent maybe 2 hours ironing and I wasn’t even halfway done. (Granted, I tend to move a little slowly when I’m new at something.) That evening I ate dinner at a pizza place five minutes away from my house and I got ice cream from a truck that is also right by my house.

20 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and spent 3 more hours ironing. (I don’t know how I am so slow/challenged at it). At 12 Oma and Opa (from last weekend) came to the house and they brought three friends. This weekend Oma was celebrating 50 years of friendship with her friends from France, Peter, Fran, and Elaine. It was a huge mixture of languages because Peter and Fran speak French, English, and German, but Elaine only speaks French and English, but Oma only speaks German, and I only speak English fluently and German a little bit. This group of people made my brain a little tired! We were a group of 11 and we went to look at the catacombs in Bamberg. It was very interesting to go underground and see everything that was there. The tour was in German so I didn’t entirely understand what everything was, but I had the gist. After the tour of the catacombs, we went to a rose garden for drinks. Since I was already in the city center, I broke away from the group afterwards and met up with a girl from America and her roommate who is a guy from Ireland. We got delicious ice cream and then we just walked around Bamberg. We talked a lot about the travels we’ve had and the ones we want to have. They’re both more experienced travelers than I am because they are 24 and 22 years old, so it will be good for me to have some mentors and friends who can give me some guidance.

21 September: This was such a fun day! I woke up pretty early and we drove to Oma and Opa’s house. We picked up the kids on the way, and when we got there Oma had prepared the most amazing breakfast for us and the French! There was every type of bread you could imagine and caramel, chocolate, Nutella, homemade marmalade, cheese, butter, you name it! I ate so much, it was a life changing event. After breakfast I went with the French girls and Oma to the grave yard and we looked at the graves. We laughed at how almost half of the tombstones had the name Schneider on them. We also looked inside the church that Oma plays the organ for which was beautiful. When we got back to Oma’s house, I sat on the terrace with Peter and Elaine and Opa Gunther and we talked more about places I could travel and they gave me advice on smart ways to travel. Elaine also complimented me on being 18 and already having such a strong grasp on how to see the world. That made me so happy! After this everybody loaded up in the cars and we drove to another town. When we got out of the cars we were picked up by horses and a carriage! It was so much fun, we went through the forest, the vineyards, and other areas. The boys were even able to sit on the front bench and pretend to be driving the carriage. Peter brought the accordion and played music and sang during part of the ride. I think everyone really enjoyed the ride. When we went back to Oma’s house, I played in the backyard with the younger boy and there was only a little bit of crying, but he got over it really fast, which I was thankful for. We took our dinner to go because it was getting close to the kids’ bedtime. We said goodbye to the French and I told them it was such a pleasure to meet them! We stayed the night at Opa Kalli and Oma Edith’s house.

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22 September: Today we ate a delicious breakfast and then Opa Kalli, the boys, the dad and I all walked to the playground. We played for a little while and then we walked to the fire station. They were having an open house to celebrate 150 years of volunteer firefighters, so the boys were able to play in a bouncy house. Then there was a small parade that showcased every type of vehicle the fire station drives. There was also a marching band and a few clubs from the city who sported their traditional, professional wear. After this, we all drove to another city and met Opa Kalli’s parents for lunch. They were nice, but I didn’t have the opportunity to converse with them too much. And now, I am back home.

This was a really great week! I really enjoyed all of the new people who I met and all the new experiences I had. I’m excited for the coming week and for all the future has in store for me!

The short version of what you’re about to read: The beginning of the week was somewhat slow, but then we spent the weekend at Oma and Opa’s in Wipfeld and I am EXHAUSTED!

9 September: On this day I woke up, ate breakfast, did some laundry, and I rode my bike to the city center in the rain. I don’t know what I did exactly, but I made a woman in her car angry and she yelled something at me out her window. The joke is on her though because I can’t understand German unless you speak slowly and make eye contact with me, so I have no clue what she said! When I arrived at the city center I got a cappuccino and I accidentally poured so much salt in it instead of sugar, but I was so embarrassed, I just left. After that, I bought a new jacket at the department store. Then I got a large piece of cheesecake from a tiny, cute bakery. My piece didn’t come with a fork so I just stood by a fountain, in the rain, and ate it like a slice of pizza. After this, I came back home, took a nap, and the rest of the day was pretty standard, so I will spare the details.

10 September: I woke up, ate breakfast, and then rode my bike to the grocery store and I bought some coffee and yogurt to keep in my fridge. When the kids got home from kindergarten, the older one wanted to read and read and read! We read so many books this day and I didn’t really mind because I would rather read than play a game on my phone or something like that. After a while, the father’s parents came over. They were on their way home from their holiday and so we visited and ate cheesecake and drank coffee. They were so nice and I’m excited to meet them again! The older boy had soccer practice so the younger boy and I played in his room and everything went well. It was all fun and no crying!

11 September: This was a boring Wednesday! However, boring days are important because they make the slightly less boring days seem way more fun. On this day I woke up, ate breakfast, and had some coffee and wrote a letter to my friend Lauren. I rode my bike to the post office and it is conveniently only a five minute bike ride from home. Even better, it only cost me four euros to send four letters! I was really happy when the kids got home this day because I was bored and wanted somebody to hang out with. We ate lunch and played and it was fun. Then I babysat the younger one and we played outside on the trampoline and we looked for roly-polys. For dinner we ate pumpkin pizza which was oddly delicious! This was also the day I learned that there are not pumpkin spice lattes in Germany 😦

12 September: This was the guinea pig day. We left Bamberg at about noon and headed towards the town where Oma and Opa live, Wipfeld. However, before we could go to Wipfeld, we needed to pick up a guinea pig for my host mom’s aunt. Then, when we arrived at Oma and Opa’s house, we walked to the aunt’s house to give her the guinea pig. She lives in a house nearby with a huge beautiful garden. On our walk back, the younger boy asked me to carry him and it was really cute, so I did. Later, he hit me with a garden hoe on purpose. In the evening we played in the garden at Oma and Opa’s house and then we ate dinner. Then afterwards the older one wanted me to read him a German book, but after I tried reading for a few pages, he said I was terrible at it, so we switched to an English book. Also, on this day we got to ride on the Autobahn and we went 90 mph with people still passing us!

13 September: This day was exhausting, but fun. The kids woke me up early by jumping on me and we walked to the bakery. Oma bought me my own delicious Brezel! Then we ate a filling and delicious breakfast. Afterwards, we painted this branch that we decided would be a snake. Oma told me she thought that would entertain the boys for a few hours, but unfortunately, the fun only lasted about 15 minutes. Afterwards, we drove up the hill to the vineyards and watched the huge machine shuck the grapes from the vines. The view from there was so beautiful. After this we went home and played with instruments in the yard. Oma made us lunch and she also gave us homemade ice cream and a cheesecake that she made. I had five pieces of this cheesecake, but I will remind you that vacation calories don’t count and I am on vacation for the next two years. After lunch, I read to the older boy and then we went to the park and played there for a while. On our way back to the house, we stopped at one of the neighbors houses and they showed us their chickens and gave us half a dozen of the eggs that the chickens had laid. When we got back to the house, Oma’s sister, Monika, and her husband came over and we all ate dinner together. Nobody really spoke English so I had to speak German and they all said my German was so good! I felt really happy about that.

14 September: Yet another exhausting, but rewarding day. We woke up early again and went to the bakery. Oma bought me my own delicious croissant. We ate breakfast together and I also ate bread with the homemade marmalade that Oma has. It was DELICIOUS! Afterwards, we played with blocks for a while and then we played in the garden and then it was time for lunch. We ate cooked vegetables and rice. You read that correctly, AVERY ate cooked vegetables and rice! After lunch I was so exhausted so the younger boy and I took a nap. Then at 3 Oma had a previous arrangement that she needed to get to, so the boys were left alone with me and Opa Gunther. Moments after Oma left, the younger boy started screaming and crying. Opa, the no-funny-business German man that he is, screamed at the younger boy to stop crying. His scream terrified me so much, even I felt like crying! The younger boy ran upstairs and cried for five more minutes alone and then he was no longer upset and it was okay for all of us to leave. So we walked to the place where we could be picked up by the ferry and we took a ride across the river. It was maybe a 45 second ride, but it was great fun for the boys! After the ride, we played at the park for a while and then we got ice cream! When we got home, we played in the garden for a while and then we ate pizza for dinner. Vegetable pizza. And yet again, AVERY ate vegetables! One of my favorite parts of this day was at dinner, the younger boy chugged three big gulps of lemon juice, sat for a moment and then said, “…Sour”. Then, the older boy wanted to do the same, so he chugged three big gulps of lemon juice and said, “…Sour”. Then I had to chug three big gulps of lemon juice, and I can confirm, it was very, very sour! We were all laughing so hard, so this was a great moment for me. I liked this day a lot, because even though there was a lot of crying and fighting, we laughed a lot and I got lots of hugs and Oma and the boys said that they just love me! It made me very happy.

15 Sunday: Today, we were all so tired. We woke up and ate breakfast and then we played for a few hours in the garden. We spent about an hour just hammering nails into wood. I don’t know why that entertained us so much, but it did and I like that it did. Then we went to the same animal park that we went to last weekend. We played on the playgrounds and then we ate lunch at one of the picnic tables. We also got to feed the sheep which was hilarious. Then we drove back to Bamberg and we ate cookies and drank coffee.

This entire week was so much fun! I can’t believe that I’ve been in Europe for three weeks already, but time flies when you’re having fun. I am starting to feel more and more comfortable here everyday and I’m so thankful that every day has brought me a new adventure. As I look at my calendar for the coming weeks, I see that I have something going on every single week, so I am going to be a busy girl and that makes me ecstatic! What a blessing it is to live in Germany.

Unfortunately, just an au pair.

The short version of what you’re about to read: This was my first week as an au pair. It was both stressful and rewarding. The kids are cute, but sometimes they scream. I am excited to see what the future has in store for me.

1 September: While I was riding on one of the trains to Nijmegen, I accidentally sat in the first class, but I had no idea! The conductor told me I needed to move, but a lady, or perhaps she was an angel, gave me an extra first class upgrade that she had so I wouldn’t have to move. I am forever grateful for the kindness of strangers! I arrived in Nijmegen and Malte and his parents picked me up in a huge van after spending the day moving Malte into his new apartment. We went out to dinner at a delicious restaurant where I ate flatbread with mozzarella and pesto. For those who know me, this was a huge step up from my typical order of French fries and water. After dinner Malte and I went to his apartment and hung out there for a while. Then we went on a walk in his town and we stopped to play jenga with some guys who live in his building. They were high, but I think that’s part of the full Dutch experience. It was fun to spend time with Malte again because I hadn’t seen him since he left the US in 2017.

2 September: Malte and I woke up and had a very nutritious breakfast of bread and Nutella. I had to leave his apartment fairly early because my train was departing to Bamberg at 9:24. I had a large suitcase, a small suitcase, and my backpack, so this day was jam packed with embarrassing moments of me struggling to get myself and my luggage on a bus and 5 different trains. It will be one of those days that I will look back on and laugh at myself for. My last train finally arrived in Bamberg at 6 PM and my family was there to greet me as I got off! The boys were eager to help me with my luggage which was really cute. When we arrived at my new home, the boys gave me a brief tour of the house. They love to read and the Werner’s have a huge selection of English books for the au pair to read, so after the tour, I read a few books to them. After dinner and after the boys went to bed, I went down to my new room and unpacked my things. The parents then gave me an official tour of my space. Here are some pictures that showcase the luxury I am living in:

3 September: This was my first full day of working as an au pair. It was equal parts stressful and exhausting, but that’s to be expected living in a new country with a family of basically strangers. In the morning, I learned where the boy’s kindergarten is. It’s a cute yellow building and it’s within walking distance of the house. Right now, only the older boy is attending kindergarten. We also went to the Rathaus (city hall) to register me as a citizen of the city and we went to the bank to set up my bank account. I spent some time playing with the younger boy and he is sweet, but he is two, so tantrums are not a rarity. I picked up the older boy from kindergarten for the first time by myself and when we got home, he wanted me to read a book with him. He is very smart and he’s four years old and speaks fluent English and German! The rest of this day was pretty uneventful, so I will spare the details.

4 September: I woke up at about 8:30 and I got dressed and ready for the day. The Werner’s have a bike for me to use, so I went on a ride to do some exploring and I found the path that goes directly into the Bamberg city center. It’s about a 20 minute bike ride, but the city center is filled with shops, restaurants, cafes and lots of other places to have fun. On this morning, I got coffee, went shopping, and I bought a new shirt at h&m. Not surprisingly, shopping makes Bamberg feel like home. At noon, I picked up the older boy from kindergarten and when we got home we ate lunch and played. We made a “Stopkeller” (or a stop sign) out of paper. The boys also saw the friendship bracelet I have on my ankle from Chloe and they both wanted to have one too. So we spent about an hour making friendship bracelets for both of their arms and legs. This was a really cute moment that I want to remember.

5 September: This day presented quite a few challenges for me. I woke up and brought the older boy to kindergarten and when I got home, we ate breakfast and I babysat the younger one. He and I had a bit of a disagreement, so he had a terrible, terrible tantrum. He was screaming for his mom and he ran outside the front door, and I ran after him and we ended up getting locked out of the house! So, I just sat down on the steps and let him scream. He kept yelling at me to go back inside, but I didn’t because I am a strong woman (and because we were locked out). Eventually, he got so mad at me for staying outside, that he threw a rock at me. As I’m writing this story, I am laughing about how this moment was both parts insane and funny. He cried for about 20 minutes and then he finally stopped and we played in the backyard like nothing happened. 2 year olds are weird. After the mother got home, we ate lunch and I played with the older boy for a while. Then I was free and I went into the city center. I went shopping, got ice cream and had dinner at a restaurant called “Little Italy Bamberg”. I also was in the more tourist-oriented areas of the city so I heard a lot of Americans speaking, which was refreshing.

6 September: I woke up and we ate breakfast as a family. We rode our bikes into the city to go to a really cool park. There is a part of the park that has water and the older boy ended up falling in. Thankfully it wasn’t deep water, but I still went in after him. We were both soaking wet! After he got over the initial shock of falling in the water, both the boys were happy to splash around and play. For lunch we ate at a cute cafe that is in the park area. Then the dad took me on a formal tour of the city. Bamberg has a lot of history and most of the architecture is still original because it was not destroyed in World War 2. I learned a lot about the city and the university I will be attending starting in October. Afterwards, we went home and I had one hour to relax. Then we all loaded up in the car and drove to the parents’ hometown. The dad is part of a quintet and they were playing at an event for one of the mayoral candidates for the town we were in. It was a very interesting event for me to attend and it was very relieving to know that there are politicians who act fake all over the world, not just America! After the party we played at a park and then we went to the house we were staying at and the boys went to bed and I enjoyed some brezel and lebkuchen that the mom had bought for me.

7 September: I got to sleep in this day. We woke up at ate breakfast as a family including the mom’s parents, Inga and Gunther, and the dad’s sister. We had a big, delicious breakfast spread and it was nice to meet more of the family. After we packed the van back up, we drove to a petting zoo that had lots of great playgrounds for the boys to play at. The grandparents also came along. This was a lot of fun and it was cool to see how a German petting zoo differs from an American one. When we got home, I relaxed and then I went into the city center. I went shopping, ate ice cream, ate French fries, and I bought some chocolate bars for me to eat when I got home. When I got home, I ate both chocolate bars and I watched a few movies and went to bed. (Just so you know, vacation calories don’t count, and I am on vacation for the next two years.)

8 September: Now it’s Sunday and I am at a coffee shop, using their free Wifi to my advantage. I did so much in this first week, and all though there were moments where I myself wanted to have a tantrum, those moments are nothing compared to the moments where we are all smiling and laughing together. Not to sound sappy, but the homesickness goes away when one of the boys grabs my hand to show me something or asks me to help them do something they’re just too little to do on their own. They are cute little monsters and I like them a lot. I know this is going to be an amazing and rewarding experience for me. And shoutout to the moms everywhere, you the real ones. I am so excited for the weeks to come because I am meeting another girl who is here as an au pair for coffee this week. Britt and I also booked a trip to Vienna for the first week in October. This truly is a European adventure!

The summarized version of what you’re about to read: I left Kansas City on Monday and spent the day in the New York airport. I had a great week with Britt in the Netherlands. We did so many cool things like shopping (where I was very sparse with my money), climbing the city bell tower, and going to one of the Dutch Islands. We had such a great time together. Now, I am headed to Nijmegen to meet Malte and his family. 

26 August: At 4:30 I woke up and got ready to go to the airport. My dad and Wendy drove to Kansas City the night before and they stayed in a hotel close to the airport so I wouldn’t have to wake up even earlier. All four of my parents were at the airport to send me off on my adventure. The goodbye was very short and sweet as I was eager to go through security and finally be on the way. My flight left Kansas City at 6:10 in the morning and I landed in New York City’s Laguardia airport at 9:35. After I grabbed my luggage from baggage claim, I took an Uber from Laguardia to John F. Kennedy airport. Laguardia is very organized so finding my Uber was very easy. I arrived at JFK at 11:30 and then I checked my luggage into baggage storage and headed out into the city. My plan was to take the Long Island Railroad to Corona Park and to go to the Queens zoo. So, I took the air train to the LIRR station and I bought a ticket. I tried to go through, when an employee informed me that I also needed to buy a metro card to get through to the trains. So, I also bought a metro card and I scanned it. Unfortuantely I scanned it on the wrong entranceso I had to buy anothermetro card ticket to scan it on the correct entrance and go through. I finally made it to the train and when it got to my stop for the zoo, the train did not stop. I had no clue where this train was headed! It ended up going to Penn Station in Manhattan and I got off and ate at Mcdonalds (traditional American cuisine). I was so exhausted, so I ended up going back to the airport after that and I just spent the day sitting on my computer in the food court. My flight finally left JFK at about 12:15 AM. Pretty much the second my butt hit the seat, I was asleep. I don’t even remember taking off! I slept almost the entire flight and missed every meal and all of the in-flight services. 

27 August: I arrived at Amsterdam Schipol airport at 1:45 in the afternoon. Britt and her dad, Benno were there to greet me as I walked out of baggage claim. They brought me a balloon that read “Welkom” and my favorite, stroopwafels! The three of us took the train from Amsterdam to Britt’s hometown, Groningen. The ride was about 2 hours long and it was a very pleasant ride. When we arrived in Groningen, Britt and I took the city bus to her apartment. We left all of my luggage there and I changed into really cute clothes for dinner! We ate dinner with Britt’s mom and dad (Benno and Adri) and her brother, Jornt. We ate at a very nice pizza restaurant, and to my surprise, they did not deliver the pizza in slices! I ate it with a fork and knife, which was a first-time experience, but it felt like my first step into adulthood. We spent the night at Britt’s parent’s house and I fell asleep at 9 pm. I don’t usually sleep in, but I didn’t wake up until noon the next day!

28 August: Britt and I woke up at noon and ate breakfast (really brunch because of the time). We ate delicious bread that I coated with peanut butter and hagel slag (a Dutch specialty, chocolate sprinkles) and an egg. Afterwards, we took the city bus back to Britt’s apartment to change clothes. Then we rode our bikes into the city center which was a little scary for me because the bike traffic in Groningen is so heavy! Once we parked our bikes, we walked to a coffee shop and had deliciouscoffee. We walked around the city center and Britt showed me so many stores that had cute and inexpensive clothes. Fortunately for me, I contained myself and did not buy all the clothes that I wanted to, but instead I bought two really cute pairs of socks. One pair that has the Dutch flag (which Britt and I later discovered that depending on how you look at it could also be the French flag) and another pair that says “Earth Pwr”. On the way back to Britt’s apartment I did crash my bike into hers. It was embarrassing, but it’s all part of the learning process, right? That night Britt has volleyball, so I stayed at her apartment and I spent two hours looking at how much flights cost throughout Europe and I also got to Facetime with Sam. For dinner we ate at the cafeteria place close to Britt’s apartment. We ate French fries and I also tried a fried egg ball which is a Groningen specialty. 

29 August: For breakfast, Britt and I made strawberry and banana smoothies in the blender she got for her birthday. We then rode our bikes into the city center and we both drank coffee on the patio of a place called “Three Sisters”. After coffee we walked to the city’s bell tower which is called the “Martini Tower”. It is 29 stories tall, so the stairs had us very winded, but the view made it worth it! It was very cool to see such a historic place in the city of Groningen. Afterwards, Britt had some errands she needed to run, so I went shopping alone. This is the part in the story where you all should applaud me because again, I did not spend ANY money! I just looked at and contemplated buying clothes, but I pulled myself together. I also embarrassed myself because I didn’t realize that it cost money to go to the bathroom, so I tried to go without paying. Fortunately, I had spare change on my person and I was able to go! That night Britt and I hung out at her apartment and I learned a new game called “Qwixx”. We also played a game from home that my sister Hayden and I call “The Princess Game”. For dessert we ate vanilla flavored Jell-o topped with strawberry sauce which was very tasty! We spent the rest of the evening playing more games with one of Britt’s roommates, Linde who is very nice!

30 August: On this day we woke up very early (which for us was 7:15 AM). We got dressed and caught the city bus at about 8:30 AM. There were a lot of older people on the bus and they all had so much energy. There was an older man who yelled “Oh sh*t!” and laughed every single time the bus took a turn because he would fall out of his seat. It was too much comedy for Britt and I so early in the morning. The bus brought us to the port where the boat would take us to the island, Schiermonnikoog. The boat ride was about 50 minutes but felt way shorter. We drank coffee and played Qwixx and The Princess Game, so it went by very fast. When we arrived on the island, we walked along the beach. We ended up walking about 5 miles to get to the island village. In the village there were many cute houses and some adorable shops that we walked through. We had lunch at one of the restaurants and I enjoyed some warm chocolate milk with whipped cream, which is basically hot chocolate, but I swear it’s different. After this, we went searching for the island lighthouses. As we were walking the “Oh sh*t!” man and his friend saw us and they waved and said hello. It was awkward. We walked another 2 miles and we found both of the lighthouses. They were both very aesthetically pleasing. We found a bench that had an amazing lookout on the ocean and the nature before us and we relaxed there for 10 minutes or so. It was a gorgeous view. Afterwards, we grabbed some ice cream to cool us down and we waited for the Island bus to take us back to the port where we would meet the boat to take us back. The “Oh sh*t!” man was also on our bus back home, but he was much quieter. I can only assume he tuckered himself out on the island. That night we ate some chocolate jell-o and watched two movies that had Rebel Wilson in them. We were so exhausted from all the walking that we wanted to stay up until 1 AM so we would sleep until noon the next day, and we did. 

31 August: We woke up at noon and we went to the Albert Heijn (the local grocery store) and bought fruit, chips, bread, and coffee. We made a picnic by the pond across the street and laid in the sun. We played Qwixx and The Princess Game (are you starting to realize what our favorite pastime is?). We stayed there for an hour or so and then I went into the city center by myself because Britt had some chores to get done. I went to a lot of the same shops I had been to in previous days and contemplated buying the same things I had spent the entire week contemplating buying. Alas, I did not spend any money, so again, I pat myself on the back. I did treat myself to some real gelato. It was coffee flavored and amazing. For dinner, we made dutch pancakes, which in The Netherlands is not a breakfast food, but instead is a dinner food and they put cheese on their pancakes! It was interesting, but good interesting. We watched another movie about Ibiza, Spain, which was very weird. Afterwards I facetimed Chloe and it was very nice!

1 September: Now it’s the first day of September and I am on the train to Nijmegen where I will stay with Malte and his family. I am so excited! It’s been a great first week in Europe and I am so excited for my future adventures! 

It’s hard saying goodbye to life the I’ve become so accustomed to. The friends and family who have always been near to me, will soon be far away and while the goodbyes have been plentiful this summer, I am so thankful to have a life here in Kansas City that is so difficult to leave.

I am fortunate to have had two farewell parties thrown for me this past month. The first was held in the beginning of August and was planned by my best friend, Chloe. I sang karaoke, ate an inappropriate amount of cool ranch Doritos, and celebrated this next step in my journey with my dear friends from high school. The most difficult part about this party for me was the reality that many of the people I said goodbye to that night, I may never get to say hello to again. So, in case I never get the chance again, I want to personally thank those good friends for all of the ways they helped me to grow into the hecka cool girl I am today.

My second goodbye party was held the following weekend and was just as special to me as the first. This party was planned and carried out by my oldest sister, Sydney and my darling Grandmother, Olivia. It was a really great opportunity for me to say goodbye to my family members and to explain to them why I’m going to nanny in Europe for a few years. There was lots of karaoke, lots of pizza, and lots of laughs. I was also very fortunate to be able to reconnect with my cousins, Kobe and Cerrissa. We’re all three the same age, so this is a very important time for all of us!

This summer has been jam packed with so many goodbyes which have all been very different. I am amazed at how unique each goodbye is. Most people who have said goodbye to me have been met with my blunt “goodbye forever”, but I am very thankful that not every goodbye I’ve said this summer is actually forever. I really have no idea who I’ll meet again and to me that is equal parts crazy, scary, and nice.

To bring this post to an awkward conclusion I shall say this: It’s been real America. Goodbye Forever.