The original title of this post was "Attempting Optimism"... but unfortunately, that is no longer the case.
Tonight I sat down with the parents and we agreed that it's for the best that I leave at the end of January.
Again, my relationship with the kids is going really well, and gets better every day. However, my relationship with the parents just isn't working out. They said, and I agree, that it's better I go now and we can stay on good terms that to pain it out until the end and hate each other. Our personalities just aren't meshing. No matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to understand one another. They are tired of explaining, and I'm tired of being explained to. No matter what I do, it just isn't enough. Last week (or the week before) we sat down and tried to talk through solutions, but I just think we're all out of energy. It is not fun or easy to be around each other, and it's just all around too stressful - this is not how this should be.
Even though we really have tried our hardest to make things work out, I still feel like a failure. I set out to spend a year in another country, and even though this is a result of all three of us, I still feel like I'll be coming home with my head hung.
They had an au pair for four months this last Spring, and I have no idea what their relationship was like but she was only ever going to stay for 6 months. When you know it's a relatively short term arrangement, things don't come to blows because you know it'll be over soon and it isn't worth fighting over.
I've already been here longer than their previous au pair, so the kids are already anticipating my departure (even though we told them it would be for a year). Last time they said goodbye after four months, so now they know that since she left after four months, I must be leaving after four months. They keep telling me which things I can take with me (such as drawings they make) and which things I can't (such as toys). They aren't being rude, their little bodies just know that the same amount of time has passed and, by precedent, it's time for me to go.
What makes me really sad is to leave before I'm really fluent, to leave before I've seen more of Europe, and above all to leave the kids. I really do love those kids, and I know that they love me, too. It's amazing how good my relationship with the kids is, especially in light of how stressful things have been with the parents. Sara and I have our birthdays a day apart, and I was hoping to hold out until then so we could celebrate together... but unfortunately, that won't be happening.
I think the last two months will be okay. Uncomfortable, but better knowing that it's only for two months and not for eight. I just hope that I continue to grow with the kids and that they will all have more good than bad to remember me by.
Thank you for your love and support- it's been very difficult and lonely here, and I know that I couldn't get through this sanely without it.
Lots of love,
~Julia~
Monday, November 23, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Objectives
So I will update about Munich and Austria... eventually.
Things are mediocre at best. There are definitely ups, and certainly downs... but when I ask myself if I'm really happy, I don't think I can answer yes. I was talking to my Dad about it the other night and he recommended I try to figure out what my objectives were in coming here. Here's what I've come up with:
Why be an Au Pair?
1. Travel
2. Learn a new language
3. Do something/live somewhere completely new and different
4. Personal growth
5. Become part of the host family
6. Make lifelong friendships
I can safely say that I've partially accomplished numbers 1-4. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that I really do still feel like a guest living in someone else's house. My room feels relatively like my own private place, and I obviously know the house itself well... but relationally, I just don't feel like family.
It's been four months, and while I know I shouldn't expect it to be like we've known each other for years, I do still feel like someone they hired to do stuff for them. The point of being an Au Pair is to be a part of the family, specifically in working with the kids. That's what makes it different from a nanny- a nanny is clearly an employee. Even though I've gone on vacation with the family, it's definitely felt more like mandatory work than family time.
In addition, at least half of my work is cleaning. The mom doesn't work full time, so it makes sense that I'm not spending all of my work time with the kids- I have the kids two or three times a week in the afternoon... so if I want to make my hours, I have to do something. I don't mind that it's cleaning, but I didn't come to Germany to clean house. My weekly cleaning includes vacuuming the whole house, mopping, and cleaning the kids room, my room, and the bathroom we share... which I think is totally fair. I definitely had chores when I was a kid. They don't like me to go back to bed in the mornings, however, so they come up with projects for me to do (such as cleaning the garage, organizing the pantry, dusting the picture frames and lamps, etc.) Again, this isn't over the top... but when the hours cleaning equal the hours spent with kids, I begin to wonder why I even bother. I can clean at home in Boise.
In truth, they don't really need me... but we knew that months ago. Sometimes the kids are great, sometimes the kids are nightmares- but that's to be expected. Sometimes there are misunderstandings that need to be worked through, but that's the way it is with any relationship.
I think it's just everything together. I'm only just starting to make a couple friends, one of which will be going back to Hungary at the end of January. I started going to the normal church choir rehearsals instead of gospel choir, and the people are so much nicer and come up and talk to me... but I just don't have anyone here. I guess that's what missing... even though they're my guest family, I don't feel connected to them. I don't have friends outside of the house, but I don't really have people to feel comfortable and myself with IN the house. If I don't have that, then what am I really doing here?
In trying to figure out what's "wrong," I think it really comes down to my relationship with the family. It's definitely polite and cordial, and we like each other... but we're just not bonding. We know so much about each other (well, I think they know more about me... I tend to be an open book, whether you like it or not) but there just isn't a connection. Esther and I have had two experiences where I've felt like we were really connecting and enjoying each other's company... and sometimes the three of us play games. But in day-to-day life, I don't think there is one. The rest of the time, I'm just a person living in their house, cleaning and hanging out with their kids.
So how do we move forward from that? Do we make it work, or go our separate ways? Can we make it work?
I just don't know.
Things are mediocre at best. There are definitely ups, and certainly downs... but when I ask myself if I'm really happy, I don't think I can answer yes. I was talking to my Dad about it the other night and he recommended I try to figure out what my objectives were in coming here. Here's what I've come up with:
Why be an Au Pair?
1. Travel
2. Learn a new language
3. Do something/live somewhere completely new and different
4. Personal growth
5. Become part of the host family
6. Make lifelong friendships
I can safely say that I've partially accomplished numbers 1-4. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that I really do still feel like a guest living in someone else's house. My room feels relatively like my own private place, and I obviously know the house itself well... but relationally, I just don't feel like family.
It's been four months, and while I know I shouldn't expect it to be like we've known each other for years, I do still feel like someone they hired to do stuff for them. The point of being an Au Pair is to be a part of the family, specifically in working with the kids. That's what makes it different from a nanny- a nanny is clearly an employee. Even though I've gone on vacation with the family, it's definitely felt more like mandatory work than family time.
In addition, at least half of my work is cleaning. The mom doesn't work full time, so it makes sense that I'm not spending all of my work time with the kids- I have the kids two or three times a week in the afternoon... so if I want to make my hours, I have to do something. I don't mind that it's cleaning, but I didn't come to Germany to clean house. My weekly cleaning includes vacuuming the whole house, mopping, and cleaning the kids room, my room, and the bathroom we share... which I think is totally fair. I definitely had chores when I was a kid. They don't like me to go back to bed in the mornings, however, so they come up with projects for me to do (such as cleaning the garage, organizing the pantry, dusting the picture frames and lamps, etc.) Again, this isn't over the top... but when the hours cleaning equal the hours spent with kids, I begin to wonder why I even bother. I can clean at home in Boise.
In truth, they don't really need me... but we knew that months ago. Sometimes the kids are great, sometimes the kids are nightmares- but that's to be expected. Sometimes there are misunderstandings that need to be worked through, but that's the way it is with any relationship.
I think it's just everything together. I'm only just starting to make a couple friends, one of which will be going back to Hungary at the end of January. I started going to the normal church choir rehearsals instead of gospel choir, and the people are so much nicer and come up and talk to me... but I just don't have anyone here. I guess that's what missing... even though they're my guest family, I don't feel connected to them. I don't have friends outside of the house, but I don't really have people to feel comfortable and myself with IN the house. If I don't have that, then what am I really doing here?
In trying to figure out what's "wrong," I think it really comes down to my relationship with the family. It's definitely polite and cordial, and we like each other... but we're just not bonding. We know so much about each other (well, I think they know more about me... I tend to be an open book, whether you like it or not) but there just isn't a connection. Esther and I have had two experiences where I've felt like we were really connecting and enjoying each other's company... and sometimes the three of us play games. But in day-to-day life, I don't think there is one. The rest of the time, I'm just a person living in their house, cleaning and hanging out with their kids.
So how do we move forward from that? Do we make it work, or go our separate ways? Can we make it work?
I just don't know.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Martha Stewart, eat your heart out.
I knew I was going to have to learn how to cook eventually, and I figured I'd probably do some basic stuff here... but geez, this is getting a little nuts.The first recipe I made from scratch was a summer zucchini stew. First of all, before coming here I didn't eat zucchini unless it was in zucchini bread. My relationship with zucchini quickly became intimate in Sweden when Esther's mom sent blue-ribbon sized zucchinis with us. In every meal, if there was room to add zucchini, we did. That was the first time I introduced the family to zucchini bread (which was love at first sight) and they taught me that all it takes is a little garlic, olive oil, and pepper to make zucchini delicious. When we came back to Germany we still had two HUGE zucchinis left, so Esther asked me to make lunch featuring zucchini. I did an allrecipes.com search and found the stew recipe. Not only did I not have trouble following the instructions, I even felt comfortable enough to adjust the spices to taste. I definitely still need to learn which spices I like the best and how to combine them- I can do alright, but I would really love to develop my taste palette.
New recipe no. 2 was chicken piccata (not sure what that means, but that's what it's called on allrecipes.com!) and also went well! The helpful thing about cooking websites is that the people who leave comments give recommendations on how to alter the recipes. I was able to take some of the suggestions and tweek the recipe- and it was successfully delicious!
When I was in Austria (and yes, I WILL eventually get around to posting about that), Margarita served the most delicious pumpkin soup. Again, I believe pumpkin should be in pies and cookies... but did you know it can be an ingredient in savory cooking?! CRAZY. I told Esther about the soup, so she asked me to make it.
Fun fact: The baking aisle in German grocery stores leave more than somewhat to be desired. Not only is there no brown sugar (unless you mean raw sugar, which I don't), vanilla extract (you have to use vanilla sugar), evaporated milk (stay tuned), or bags of chocolate chips (there was ONE brand of chocolate chips that came in a tiny little box labeled "Schoko Töpfchen"- I had to trust by the picture that they were, in fact, chocolate chips)... but there is no canned pumpkin.
Moral of the story: if you want to use pumpkins, you have to make your own pumpkin puree. So I found a homemade pumpkin pie recipe that detailed how to puree the pumpkin, and I busted out my iPod and pureed me sum' punkin. It's actually very simple, and it makes me feel like Holly Housewife: kitchen rockstar edition.
With the beautiful fall weather, I was missing Northfield's apple orchard and wishing I could get my hands on some hot cider. I asked Esther, but she said she's only heard of the hard cider. I'm actually not sure how these people have made it through life without hot apple cider and pumpkin carving (Halloween is not really celebrated in Germany... something about the origins being "evil" or something like that...) but I'd like to do my part and make the world a better place, one cup of cider at a time.
The cider process is long, but it doesn't get difficult until the end. It calls for a cheesecloth to strain the liquid through, but one place said you can use a pillowcase. Esther just happened to have a bite-sized white pillow case that was the PERFECT size. I put half through a strainer first, and what didn't strain through I put in the pillowcase. Although it takes a lot of patience (which I may or may not struggle with) to get the juice out, it is very effective. Unfortunately, the insides of the pillowcase look disgusting when you're done. In the three hour process, the apples (complete with peel, stem, and seeds) turn to mush and become a little brown from the quality time spent with the spices. All I'm saying is that, when I was done, the inside of the pillowcase did not look significantly dissimilar from the contents of a fiber-fed baby's diaper. I'm just saying.
While Esther, Frank, and Sara's kindergarten teachers all found it really tastey, the kids were less than impressed. I over-did it with the cloves, so now I know that next time around I will use half the amount. And much more cinnamon and sugar. Duh.
Ah yes, and the evaporated milk. Well, I'd like to make pumpkin pie at some point and I need evaporated milk! I looked, and the store doesn't have it (because that would be helpful- you just can't count on these grocery stores for anything that is in standard American baking and cooking) so I looked online to figure out what exactly evaporated milk is. Turns out, you can make it yourself... so it looks like next time I have four spare hours (ha), I've got me a date with milk and a saucepan.
I asked Esther if I could make a traditional dinner on Thanksgiving, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm not too worried about mashed potatoes, but learning how to cook a turkey is a different story. I'm actually not sure where I'll be able to get a turkey... I hope I don't have to go farm fresh- Simon has already figured out that the chickens we see on farms are the same ones we eat, and sometimes he eats around the chicken because he feels guilty. Which I find frankly impressive that he put that together himself.
Oh, and last night I whipped up 1700 grams of pumpkin puree so I can make pumpkin cookies when I have time and still have some left over for soup or something else pumpkin-y delicious.
You have my permission to be impressed.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I live!
So remember that time when I didn't post for over a month? Yeah, my bad.
I find that when I am in the habit of doing something, it doesn't seem tedious or like any extra effort is necessary... but the longer I put something off, the more I don't want to do it. I enjoy posting and keeping a record of things that happen (preferably when they happen) but the longer I wait to update, the more I convince myself that it's an inconvenience... which is not at all true, but when there's a whole world of American television to be caught up on online, it's seems like a pretty good excuse at the time.
So a LOT has happened in the past month, including three notable trips to Munich, Austria, and the Baltic Sea. In the interest of self-preservation, I will be tackling each trip in separate posts. I started this blog entry this morning while letting apple cider cook, but apparently cooking cider is a day-long process and I am now, more than 13 hours later, still nowhere near done writing. DANG IT. On the plus side, it will hopefully be easier to read in segments than in one big tangent... and I think I can safely say more interesting, as well.
Munich
So, as a complete answer to prayer (see prayer requests from last legitimate post) I was able to get very cheap train tickets to and from Munich. I left on a Friday and traveledfor TWELVE HOURS. Munich is usually only a 6 hour ride away, but because I'm po' I bought the "Deutschland Spezial" which is code for transport solely by commuter trains. I left the house at 7:20 in the morning, took seven trains, and got to my hotel room by 11:30 that night. I was also having trouble getting ahold of Emily, which was a little nerve wracking. There was also a friend from high school who was in Munich that weekend but I couldn't seem to find a way to connect my German cell to her Italian cell... so unfortunately that didn't work out to meet up.
Anyway, the morning of my first full day I took a cab to the hotel where Emily and her friends were staying, and as soon as I get there Emily said "So, we're going to Dachau." I was like "Great... what's Dachau?" Well, a concentration camp just somehow didn't seem to fit my pre-concieved notion of Oktoberfest's celebratory atmosphere, but I decided it was a good idea to go. I had been wondering if I would be emotionally capable of seeing one, and I had come to a half conclusion that unless there was a blatant opportunity I would probably not try too hard to go. Well, Somebody knew better than me and provided me with a blatant opportunity, so I warned the people I was with that I'm an easy we took the U-Bahn out to Dachau.
When we got there, there was a lot to see and not a lot of time to see it. We started on the right side of the camp with the barracks, which was host to medical experiments, interrogations, and torture. In Europe I love that you can physically touch the history around you, but this was certainly some history I didn't want to make contact with. They had several post-war accounts from prisoners who survived, and to give specific voices to the experiences was terrifying. It's bad enough knowing that millions were tortured and killed, but to know the individual stories magnifies the monstrosity of it. Of course we know that every single person has life and personality, but I think sometimes we look at the larger group and forget the individual stories. I found it to be fascinating and devastating a the same time. I then moved on to the main hall which was the main source of information. I tried to look at everything, and in doing so spent the rest of my remaining time there. I went from trying to read everything, to reading the titles and deciding which ones to read, to walking briskly through and just reading titles. There was a section about music and poetry in the camp, and I was reminded of Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" which he composed while in a concentration camp. We studied the third movement, specifically in Music History and I found the solo clarinet absolutely enchanting. Dr. Hanson described the clarinet as the nightengale, which is mythologically believed to be the last creature living when everything else in the world has already been destroyed. The melody is haunting and serene, and is yet another beautiful example of the power of music. Whoops- I just got lost there for a minute in the thought of the music. Hey, at least it shows I learned something in college, though, right?! YESSS.
Anyway, I was pretty bummed to think that I wasn't even going to see the normal bunk houses or the crematorium. However, some of our group was late to catch the bus (which came every 20 minutes) so Emily and I power-walked our way to the OPPOSITE side of the camp to see it. The outside was super creepy in that it looked completely normal... almost like a little cottage or something. The thing about the camp as a whole was that it was eerily quite, I think out of a certain reverence and respect for the severity of what happened there... but the silence in the crematorium was deafening. I was really a pretty small room with three or four ovens. Just like the exterior, the ovens themselves were deceivingly innocent in appearance. Honestly, they looked like pizza ovens you would find in a local pizzeria... which to me is all kinds of disturbing. Then I went to a room on the side and read something that said "this room is where all the bodies were stored before burning"- in which case I ran out of there as fast as possible. Things I'm not interested in: standing in a room previously occupied by thousands of dead people. Thanks.
Unsuprisingly, the rest of the trip was much more festive.
That night we managed to get into the Hofbräuhaus, one of the biggest and most famous beer halls in Munich. The energy was unbelievable! Something I noticed even on my last train into Munich the night before was that EVERYONE was wearing a dirndel or lederhosen. I had assumed that the traditional outfits would be primarily for bar wenches, but it seemed like they were everywhere you went- which was AWESOME. Needless to say, the Hofbräuhaus had it's fair share of festive apparel :) At first we tried to stand in line to get in, but in that mob scene playing nice wasn't going to get us anywhere. We decided just to bum rush the place, and actually got in! The tricky part after that was to actually find a table- especially one that would fit nine people. We were lucky enough to find a table on the balcony outside, which appeared to be the last available spot possible. I asked the people next to us if we could have their extra chairs in German, but when they looked at me with total confusion I tried English- and wouldn't you know, we wound up next to a group of Irishmen! I think their time in Munich was a mobile bachelor party for one of the guys, so the group was... rowdy. They were fun to chat with throughout the night, though, and it was fun to meet people from another country and actually be able to converse with them (as opposed to meeting someone from a non-English speaking country, persay...)
Everyone at the table ordered a beer, but being the girly drink drinker that I am, I looked at the "Spirits" section and saw something that said Apple & Pear. In my cocktail-oriented mind I thought, great! A fun little mixed drink to go with dinner! It wasn't until the arrival of said drink that I learned the significance of the 2cl that was printed next to it in the menu. 2cl is two centiliters... so instead of a nice little sweet drink, I got a shot. GREAT. That also meant I was going to have to buy another drink to go with dinner, so I decided to try a light beer. I used to say that with both beer and indian food, people always insisted that the reason I didn't like it is because I haven't had "good" beer or indian food. Well, I'm warming up to indian food now, but the beer is still a lost cause. The menu said it came in a half liter, but the waiter said I could only have the full liter. Everyone in the entire restaurant was downing multiple liter glasses of beer, so I decided to go for it. After finishing half of it (which was a feat in itself) I decided that it just wasn't tastey enough to justify making myself drink the rest of it, so I let somebody else finish it for me. I did, however, receive a free drink from the boys at the table next to us... so that made me feel a little bit less left out.
After the Hofbräuhaus, we took the U-Bahn back to the general area of the group's hotel and found a strange little Spanish/Mexican restaurant (I have no idea how a Spanish restaurant would be different from a Mexican restaurant, so it was either reasonable Spanish or not so Mexican Mexican). We had a little loud music, a little margarita, a little chips & salsa, and called it a night.
Speaking of which, I just can't go on any more right now. Esther will be gone the next two days for a seminar (but will be back in the evenings) which means that I am looking at two SUPER full days with the kids- including a trip to an apple orchard which Esther volunteered me to chaperone for. No sneaking a little extra sleep in for me :(
I will, however, post Munich: Part II TOMORROW and hopefully some bits of Austria, too...
Congratulations if you made it this far. I promise it was hard for me, too.
~Julia~
I find that when I am in the habit of doing something, it doesn't seem tedious or like any extra effort is necessary... but the longer I put something off, the more I don't want to do it. I enjoy posting and keeping a record of things that happen (preferably when they happen) but the longer I wait to update, the more I convince myself that it's an inconvenience... which is not at all true, but when there's a whole world of American television to be caught up on online, it's seems like a pretty good excuse at the time.
So a LOT has happened in the past month, including three notable trips to Munich, Austria, and the Baltic Sea. In the interest of self-preservation, I will be tackling each trip in separate posts. I started this blog entry this morning while letting apple cider cook, but apparently cooking cider is a day-long process and I am now, more than 13 hours later, still nowhere near done writing. DANG IT. On the plus side, it will hopefully be easier to read in segments than in one big tangent... and I think I can safely say more interesting, as well.
Munich
So, as a complete answer to prayer (see prayer requests from last legitimate post) I was able to get very cheap train tickets to and from Munich. I left on a Friday and traveledfor TWELVE HOURS. Munich is usually only a 6 hour ride away, but because I'm po' I bought the "Deutschland Spezial" which is code for transport solely by commuter trains. I left the house at 7:20 in the morning, took seven trains, and got to my hotel room by 11:30 that night. I was also having trouble getting ahold of Emily, which was a little nerve wracking. There was also a friend from high school who was in Munich that weekend but I couldn't seem to find a way to connect my German cell to her Italian cell... so unfortunately that didn't work out to meet up.
Anyway, the morning of my first full day I took a cab to the hotel where Emily and her friends were staying, and as soon as I get there Emily said "So, we're going to Dachau." I was like "Great... what's Dachau?" Well, a concentration camp just somehow didn't seem to fit my pre-concieved notion of Oktoberfest's celebratory atmosphere, but I decided it was a good idea to go. I had been wondering if I would be emotionally capable of seeing one, and I had come to a half conclusion that unless there was a blatant opportunity I would probably not try too hard to go. Well, Somebody knew better than me and provided me with a blatant opportunity, so I warned the people I was with that I'm an easy we took the U-Bahn out to Dachau.
When we got there, there was a lot to see and not a lot of time to see it. We started on the right side of the camp with the barracks, which was host to medical experiments, interrogations, and torture. In Europe I love that you can physically touch the history around you, but this was certainly some history I didn't want to make contact with. They had several post-war accounts from prisoners who survived, and to give specific voices to the experiences was terrifying. It's bad enough knowing that millions were tortured and killed, but to know the individual stories magnifies the monstrosity of it. Of course we know that every single person has life and personality, but I think sometimes we look at the larger group and forget the individual stories. I found it to be fascinating and devastating a the same time. I then moved on to the main hall which was the main source of information. I tried to look at everything, and in doing so spent the rest of my remaining time there. I went from trying to read everything, to reading the titles and deciding which ones to read, to walking briskly through and just reading titles. There was a section about music and poetry in the camp, and I was reminded of Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" which he composed while in a concentration camp. We studied the third movement, specifically in Music History and I found the solo clarinet absolutely enchanting. Dr. Hanson described the clarinet as the nightengale, which is mythologically believed to be the last creature living when everything else in the world has already been destroyed. The melody is haunting and serene, and is yet another beautiful example of the power of music. Whoops- I just got lost there for a minute in the thought of the music. Hey, at least it shows I learned something in college, though, right?! YESSS.Anyway, I was pretty bummed to think that I wasn't even going to see the normal bunk houses or the crematorium. However, some of our group was late to catch the bus (which came every 20 minutes) so Emily and I power-walked our way to the OPPOSITE side of the camp to see it. The outside was super creepy in that it looked completely normal... almost like a little cottage or something. The thing about the camp as a whole was that it was eerily quite, I think out of a certain reverence and respect for the severity of what happened there... but the silence in the crematorium was deafening. I was really a pretty small room with three or four ovens. Just like the exterior, the ovens themselves were deceivingly innocent in appearance. Honestly, they looked like pizza ovens you would find in a local pizzeria... which to me is all kinds of disturbing. Then I went to a room on the side and read something that said "this room is where all the bodies were stored before burning"- in which case I ran out of there as fast as possible. Things I'm not interested in: standing in a room previously occupied by thousands of dead people. Thanks.
Unsuprisingly, the rest of the trip was much more festive.
That night we managed to get into the Hofbräuhaus, one of the biggest and most famous beer halls in Munich. The energy was unbelievable! Something I noticed even on my last train into Munich the night before was that EVERYONE was wearing a dirndel or lederhosen. I had assumed that the traditional outfits would be primarily for bar wenches, but it seemed like they were everywhere you went- which was AWESOME. Needless to say, the Hofbräuhaus had it's fair share of festive apparel :) At first we tried to stand in line to get in, but in that mob scene playing nice wasn't going to get us anywhere. We decided just to bum rush the place, and actually got in! The tricky part after that was to actually find a table- especially one that would fit nine people. We were lucky enough to find a table on the balcony outside, which appeared to be the last available spot possible. I asked the people next to us if we could have their extra chairs in German, but when they looked at me with total confusion I tried English- and wouldn't you know, we wound up next to a group of Irishmen! I think their time in Munich was a mobile bachelor party for one of the guys, so the group was... rowdy. They were fun to chat with throughout the night, though, and it was fun to meet people from another country and actually be able to converse with them (as opposed to meeting someone from a non-English speaking country, persay...)
Everyone at the table ordered a beer, but being the girly drink drinker that I am, I looked at the "Spirits" section and saw something that said Apple & Pear. In my cocktail-oriented mind I thought, great! A fun little mixed drink to go with dinner! It wasn't until the arrival of said drink that I learned the significance of the 2cl that was printed next to it in the menu. 2cl is two centiliters... so instead of a nice little sweet drink, I got a shot. GREAT. That also meant I was going to have to buy another drink to go with dinner, so I decided to try a light beer. I used to say that with both beer and indian food, people always insisted that the reason I didn't like it is because I haven't had "good" beer or indian food. Well, I'm warming up to indian food now, but the beer is still a lost cause. The menu said it came in a half liter, but the waiter said I could only have the full liter. Everyone in the entire restaurant was downing multiple liter glasses of beer, so I decided to go for it. After finishing half of it (which was a feat in itself) I decided that it just wasn't tastey enough to justify making myself drink the rest of it, so I let somebody else finish it for me. I did, however, receive a free drink from the boys at the table next to us... so that made me feel a little bit less left out.
After the Hofbräuhaus, we took the U-Bahn back to the general area of the group's hotel and found a strange little Spanish/Mexican restaurant (I have no idea how a Spanish restaurant would be different from a Mexican restaurant, so it was either reasonable Spanish or not so Mexican Mexican). We had a little loud music, a little margarita, a little chips & salsa, and called it a night.
Speaking of which, I just can't go on any more right now. Esther will be gone the next two days for a seminar (but will be back in the evenings) which means that I am looking at two SUPER full days with the kids- including a trip to an apple orchard which Esther volunteered me to chaperone for. No sneaking a little extra sleep in for me :(
I will, however, post Munich: Part II TOMORROW and hopefully some bits of Austria, too...
Congratulations if you made it this far. I promise it was hard for me, too.
~Julia~
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
It's late, and I should be sleeping
So I'm only going to write to say that, for those who follow and are interested in my life events, I will eventually get around to posting about my life the past month (has it been that long?)- including Oktoberfest in Munich and the fact that I'm currently in Austria visiting the parents of my brother-in-law (finally, Roman being Austrian has paid off! ;)
So, hopefully it will be tomorrow or the day after. But I WILL get it done. However, it's currently after midnight, so it won't be right now. My bad.
So, hopefully it will be tomorrow or the day after. But I WILL get it done. However, it's currently after midnight, so it won't be right now. My bad.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Oldenburg: where the wind is always in your face
So you would think that after two months of bike riding my legs would get stronger... apparently NOT. They are SUPER sore right now! I'm telling you, no matter WHICH direction you happen to be riding your bike, the wind is always blowing against you. I mean, I know that anytime you're riding there's gonna be wind in your face... but seriously, this is ridiculous. We're only about thirty minutes from the North Sea so it's perpetually windy, and it's flat so there are wind tunnels. Sometimes it's so strong that I feel like I can barely keep peddling forward! It is somewhat discouraging.
A few news updates:
I have officially booked a hotel room in Munich for Oktoberfest! Apparently Emily is traveling in a group of 8 and they have two rooms. I tried to find something for two people (she offered to stay somewhere else with me so I wouldn't be alone) but apparently Oktoberfest is popular or something and practically everything even sort of reasonably priced was taken. The only hostel left was called "Hangover Hostel" and cost €70 a night. Um, NO THANKS. Almost everything else was at least €110 a night and outside of the Munich city limits. I was very frustrated, and definitely called my grandma crying (when Mommy and Daddy are out of cell range, one can always count on Grandma!) Apparently God felt sorry for me, so he gave me a hotel room that was €110 for BOTH nights! Yay! That's about $150 and an answer to prayer. Yay God! Also, there's a girl that I went to school with since I was a kid (who is a year younger than me) who is spending this semester in Florence, Italy. She and I were never close, but are friendly enough that we will hopefully meet up in Oktoberfest. I'm definitely hoping to take advantage of the fact that there's someone I *sort of* know in another country so maybe I can visit later :)
I started an evening language course this last Tuesday which will be two nights a week through January (ugh). I'm not SO excited about more school at the moment (I thought graduating meant I was done?!) but it will hopefully help me with articles, cases, and vocab... and all the other stuff I don't know. The first night we got into groups of four and two of the other three girls were Au Pairs- one from Indonesia and one from Hungary. All three were really nice, and I'm crossing my fingers for potential friends.
*Warning: Tangent Approaching in T-Minus Three Paragraphs*
Thursday was an unfortunate night, however. I had a question about the word "einziehen" which means to move (as in from one house to another). I asked if a TV could "einziehen" because I figured, in English, we move ourselves... but we also move our stuff. We can say "Saturday I'm moving into another house" and "Saturday I'm moving my stuff to another house." I wasn't sure, so I asked. The teacher was almost indignant that I thought anything besides a person could "einziehen" move... she said things can only "bewegen" or "transportieren", not "einziehen". I started to explain that I only wondered because I think it's different in English, and then she started a good five minute tangent on the fact that German is different from English, and things are going to be different, and it won't work to directly translate English to German because it doesn't make sense, and the sooner I accept it and get over it the better, and blahblahblah. I had already perceived her to be mostly nice, but a little too snappy in response to things that didn't rub her the right way. She said this to the whole class, but it was obviously directed at me since I was the one who had brought it up. I tried to say "You didn't give me a chance to explain, you didn't understand me correctly" but she was too busy hearing herself talk.
I was so frustrated and embarrased that I looked away, shielded my eyes, and started to cry. Not a lot, but I just couldn't hold it in. Another girl caught my eye and gave me a sympathetic look, while the girl next to me handed me a tissue. This happened in the last fifteen or so minutes of class, so I just kept my head down until it was over, and then bolted. I saw the girl who gave me a sympathetic look and she said that she understood, and that it was really hard with Polish, too.
I am perfectly aware that it doesn't work to directly translate, and I HAVE accepted it. That being said, it isn't any easier!! I've been doing pretty well with thinking in German, but when it comes to a subject that I don't know the words for, my head goes back to English! I've spent 22 years speaking English, and no two months or year in Germany will change that! 'Accepting' the fact that English and German are different is irrelevant- it's not like accepting it will all of the sudden make it easier. What?! It's DIFFERENT?! Now I understand it PERFECTLY! This woman has clearly never spent more than a two-three week vacation in a country with another language. She might know English or French from school, but I can promise you that if she had ever tried to LIVE in a country with another language, that "accepting that languages are different" would get her a whole lot of no-where. The trick isn't knowing they're different- it's figuring out HOW they're different. I tried to ask a question to find out how the words were different, and in return I got an embarrassing lecture. Awesome.
Now that I've officially vented it, I'm going to do my best to let it go. I don't know if the teacher saw me crying, and hopefully most of the class only saw that I was frustrated. My guess is that her responses to me will continue to be a little snappier than I would like, but that as far as she's concerned it basically was a non-incident.
All I'm saying is that I may be 22 years old, but I'm a new student in a new country with a new language and my skin is about as thick as a five year old's right now... and she could've tried a little patience.
On a much lighter note, today at church I saw one of the people I met at the church's youth service (the one with the Bono interview) and she invited me to come to the youth group that night. I had seen it in the bulletin, but thought it was for high schoolers. She said it was for people around age 20, give or take a few years... so even though tonight was also another English church service, I decided to go to the youth group since I had already had some mild success with people there.
Well, in a group of probably 16-20, there were ages 29 (Samantha, the girl I had previously met and kind of conducted the group), 24, 23, 22 (me), 21, 20, and then the rest between 16 and 19 (we went around and introduced ourselves, ages, and whether we were students, working, etc). They had a guest who was going to lead us in theater games, and who I had actually just met earlier during the regular church service. There were also two girls from Gospel Choir, so that was good to at least recognize people. I tend to be an outgoing person, but teenagers make me about as nervous now as they did when I was in high school. Thankfully, everybody was really friendly.
We did a few activities that involved basic interaction, but then the interactions progressed and I felt thoroughly awkward. They knew each other, for the most part, and were able to be really outgoing and themselves. We then did a few things in pairs, and presented them. That was a little rough, because I definitely went twice out of three times. I was pretty self conscious of my German, but I think it went well over-all. The second time I was paired with Samantha, and she went out of her way to be friendly and helpful with me. She had asked me if I had lost something, and I said "Oh yeah, I guess I lost an Euro" but it was really only a penny, so when she was like "Oh, and Euro" then I said "Oh, not a whole Euro, only 1 cent... I'm from the USA and I still find German money really confusing." People laughed, in a good way, so that made me feel good.
The last game was with participants where everyone else watched. It was improv, so it was good that I had the excuse of not knowing the language well enough to participate. I find improv incredibly intimidating and happen to think that I'm AWFUL at it, so then I got to just sit out. We did the game twice, and while the first one was about as entertaining as improv for beginners tends to be, the second one went really well. I couldn't understand almost anything that they said, but I understood the situations and the dynamics of the skit from tone of voice, body language, and a few words here and there. I was definitely impressed with some of the people- they were actually acting, and not like the kids in my theatrics class when we do skits :)
Afterwards, the guy who led the games (Micha) asked me how much I understood (he translated a bit, but most of what he translated was what I already understood...) and I said "Well, really none of the words... but I understood the situations." He was really kind, and said that I was "gifted" with acting. I mean, I know I'm not bad or anything, but it felt good to hear such a nice compliment :) He said it was good that I was outgoing and made some contact with the other people, and I told him that I'm really trying to put myself out there and meet new people. He said he'd be willing to get coffee sometime on the weekend, so we exchanged emails. It's a little sad that the only information I've exchanged so far has been with people ages 35+, but I'm happy to meet with really any people. Plus, I find it less intimidating to talk with people older than me. I'm always worried about making a good impression with people my age and hoping for validation and approval, but for some reason I'm much more confident and myself with people who are about ten years or more older than me.
In short, tonight was a successful night :)
Lastly, this next weekend we'll be going to Bremerhaven, which is a nearby port town. It is of particular interest because a) I will meet Frank's parents (and maybe brother & family?), and b) my mom and grandpa are SUPER into genealogy and our German ancestors left Germany from Bremerhaven to come to America. Mom, don't worry- anticipate pictures.
Things to pray for!
-making friends from church and the language course (and really anywhere!)
-that things will be normal and not weird at my language course because of last Thursday
-that I will be able to buy a cheap train ticket to Munich
-that my leg muscles will get stronger so I can ride my bike against the (ever-present) wind
-that I will have enough energy for the coming week- it's gonna be a doozy
Feel free to let me know how you are! I am always eager for contact of any kind, and would love to hear how it's going back home- especially with those patient enough to read my blog ;)
LG,
~Julia~
A few news updates:
I have officially booked a hotel room in Munich for Oktoberfest! Apparently Emily is traveling in a group of 8 and they have two rooms. I tried to find something for two people (she offered to stay somewhere else with me so I wouldn't be alone) but apparently Oktoberfest is popular or something and practically everything even sort of reasonably priced was taken. The only hostel left was called "Hangover Hostel" and cost €70 a night. Um, NO THANKS. Almost everything else was at least €110 a night and outside of the Munich city limits. I was very frustrated, and definitely called my grandma crying (when Mommy and Daddy are out of cell range, one can always count on Grandma!) Apparently God felt sorry for me, so he gave me a hotel room that was €110 for BOTH nights! Yay! That's about $150 and an answer to prayer. Yay God! Also, there's a girl that I went to school with since I was a kid (who is a year younger than me) who is spending this semester in Florence, Italy. She and I were never close, but are friendly enough that we will hopefully meet up in Oktoberfest. I'm definitely hoping to take advantage of the fact that there's someone I *sort of* know in another country so maybe I can visit later :)
I started an evening language course this last Tuesday which will be two nights a week through January (ugh). I'm not SO excited about more school at the moment (I thought graduating meant I was done?!) but it will hopefully help me with articles, cases, and vocab... and all the other stuff I don't know. The first night we got into groups of four and two of the other three girls were Au Pairs- one from Indonesia and one from Hungary. All three were really nice, and I'm crossing my fingers for potential friends.
*Warning: Tangent Approaching in T-Minus Three Paragraphs*
Thursday was an unfortunate night, however. I had a question about the word "einziehen" which means to move (as in from one house to another). I asked if a TV could "einziehen" because I figured, in English, we move ourselves... but we also move our stuff. We can say "Saturday I'm moving into another house" and "Saturday I'm moving my stuff to another house." I wasn't sure, so I asked. The teacher was almost indignant that I thought anything besides a person could "einziehen" move... she said things can only "bewegen" or "transportieren", not "einziehen". I started to explain that I only wondered because I think it's different in English, and then she started a good five minute tangent on the fact that German is different from English, and things are going to be different, and it won't work to directly translate English to German because it doesn't make sense, and the sooner I accept it and get over it the better, and blahblahblah. I had already perceived her to be mostly nice, but a little too snappy in response to things that didn't rub her the right way. She said this to the whole class, but it was obviously directed at me since I was the one who had brought it up. I tried to say "You didn't give me a chance to explain, you didn't understand me correctly" but she was too busy hearing herself talk.
I was so frustrated and embarrased that I looked away, shielded my eyes, and started to cry. Not a lot, but I just couldn't hold it in. Another girl caught my eye and gave me a sympathetic look, while the girl next to me handed me a tissue. This happened in the last fifteen or so minutes of class, so I just kept my head down until it was over, and then bolted. I saw the girl who gave me a sympathetic look and she said that she understood, and that it was really hard with Polish, too.
I am perfectly aware that it doesn't work to directly translate, and I HAVE accepted it. That being said, it isn't any easier!! I've been doing pretty well with thinking in German, but when it comes to a subject that I don't know the words for, my head goes back to English! I've spent 22 years speaking English, and no two months or year in Germany will change that! 'Accepting' the fact that English and German are different is irrelevant- it's not like accepting it will all of the sudden make it easier. What?! It's DIFFERENT?! Now I understand it PERFECTLY! This woman has clearly never spent more than a two-three week vacation in a country with another language. She might know English or French from school, but I can promise you that if she had ever tried to LIVE in a country with another language, that "accepting that languages are different" would get her a whole lot of no-where. The trick isn't knowing they're different- it's figuring out HOW they're different. I tried to ask a question to find out how the words were different, and in return I got an embarrassing lecture. Awesome.
Now that I've officially vented it, I'm going to do my best to let it go. I don't know if the teacher saw me crying, and hopefully most of the class only saw that I was frustrated. My guess is that her responses to me will continue to be a little snappier than I would like, but that as far as she's concerned it basically was a non-incident.
All I'm saying is that I may be 22 years old, but I'm a new student in a new country with a new language and my skin is about as thick as a five year old's right now... and she could've tried a little patience.
On a much lighter note, today at church I saw one of the people I met at the church's youth service (the one with the Bono interview) and she invited me to come to the youth group that night. I had seen it in the bulletin, but thought it was for high schoolers. She said it was for people around age 20, give or take a few years... so even though tonight was also another English church service, I decided to go to the youth group since I had already had some mild success with people there.
Well, in a group of probably 16-20, there were ages 29 (Samantha, the girl I had previously met and kind of conducted the group), 24, 23, 22 (me), 21, 20, and then the rest between 16 and 19 (we went around and introduced ourselves, ages, and whether we were students, working, etc). They had a guest who was going to lead us in theater games, and who I had actually just met earlier during the regular church service. There were also two girls from Gospel Choir, so that was good to at least recognize people. I tend to be an outgoing person, but teenagers make me about as nervous now as they did when I was in high school. Thankfully, everybody was really friendly.
We did a few activities that involved basic interaction, but then the interactions progressed and I felt thoroughly awkward. They knew each other, for the most part, and were able to be really outgoing and themselves. We then did a few things in pairs, and presented them. That was a little rough, because I definitely went twice out of three times. I was pretty self conscious of my German, but I think it went well over-all. The second time I was paired with Samantha, and she went out of her way to be friendly and helpful with me. She had asked me if I had lost something, and I said "Oh yeah, I guess I lost an Euro" but it was really only a penny, so when she was like "Oh, and Euro" then I said "Oh, not a whole Euro, only 1 cent... I'm from the USA and I still find German money really confusing." People laughed, in a good way, so that made me feel good.
The last game was with participants where everyone else watched. It was improv, so it was good that I had the excuse of not knowing the language well enough to participate. I find improv incredibly intimidating and happen to think that I'm AWFUL at it, so then I got to just sit out. We did the game twice, and while the first one was about as entertaining as improv for beginners tends to be, the second one went really well. I couldn't understand almost anything that they said, but I understood the situations and the dynamics of the skit from tone of voice, body language, and a few words here and there. I was definitely impressed with some of the people- they were actually acting, and not like the kids in my theatrics class when we do skits :)
Afterwards, the guy who led the games (Micha) asked me how much I understood (he translated a bit, but most of what he translated was what I already understood...) and I said "Well, really none of the words... but I understood the situations." He was really kind, and said that I was "gifted" with acting. I mean, I know I'm not bad or anything, but it felt good to hear such a nice compliment :) He said it was good that I was outgoing and made some contact with the other people, and I told him that I'm really trying to put myself out there and meet new people. He said he'd be willing to get coffee sometime on the weekend, so we exchanged emails. It's a little sad that the only information I've exchanged so far has been with people ages 35+, but I'm happy to meet with really any people. Plus, I find it less intimidating to talk with people older than me. I'm always worried about making a good impression with people my age and hoping for validation and approval, but for some reason I'm much more confident and myself with people who are about ten years or more older than me.
In short, tonight was a successful night :)
Lastly, this next weekend we'll be going to Bremerhaven, which is a nearby port town. It is of particular interest because a) I will meet Frank's parents (and maybe brother & family?), and b) my mom and grandpa are SUPER into genealogy and our German ancestors left Germany from Bremerhaven to come to America. Mom, don't worry- anticipate pictures.
Things to pray for!
-making friends from church and the language course (and really anywhere!)
-that things will be normal and not weird at my language course because of last Thursday
-that I will be able to buy a cheap train ticket to Munich
-that my leg muscles will get stronger so I can ride my bike against the (ever-present) wind
-that I will have enough energy for the coming week- it's gonna be a doozy
Feel free to let me know how you are! I am always eager for contact of any kind, and would love to hear how it's going back home- especially with those patient enough to read my blog ;)
LG,
~Julia~
Monday, August 31, 2009
Progress and (Hopeful) Future Travels
Yesterday after the church service they offered coffee and tea, so I went to get something to drink. I wasn't really trying to interact with people because I was feeling a little shy. I tend to be pretty outgoing, but sometimes it can be tiring - especially when you feel like you aren't getting anywhere. But there wasn't a spoon where I got my tea so I went to another table to grab one. While I stirred my tea, a woman said hello to me! Yay! She asked me how long I'd been coming to church, and when I told her I was an Au Pair from America she got excited and said that her friend was from America. When her friend was done talking with another person, I introduced myself and then the three of us chatted for a while. They were women I'm assuming were in their thirties or forties, but they were very nice and I really appreciate that they were willing to say hello to me. I told Angela (who had lived in California, Nebraska, and Colorado) about an English service I had gone to and that the next one is on the 13th, and if she can she's going to go with me! I exchanged numbers with both of them since Heika said that she has three kids ages 20, 19, and 18 and that her daughter(s?) might be interested in meeting me. Honestly, I'm taking any opportunities I can get.
Yesterday evening they had their once-monthly youth service. Esther went with me in the beginning but had somewhere else to go halfway through. We watched a video interview with Bono of U2, which was REALLY interesting. I had no idea he was a Christian and that all of his humanitarian efforts are really scripturally based. Anyway, afterwards we sat around the tables to discuss which was PERFECT. The age groups really ranged and there were mostly teenagers, but I had seen a table of college-age looking people which I quickly joined. They were really nice, as well, and complimented my German :) I had trouble following the conversation, but was mostly able to get the jist. After the Pastor formally closed the service, they sat around chatting for a bit, so I stayed, too. I left before they did, though, because it was getting dark and 1) I didn't know how to use the light on my bike, and 2) I hadn't ridden my bike so far alone yet. I'm really glad I went to the youth service, and really hope that I'll be able to develop friendships with some of the people I met there :)
In other exciting news, today we got a new bike for me! A new store opened and had lots of SUPER cheap stuff, including a bike for only €100. We had talked to one of Esther's friends about maybe taking her old bike, but she has mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet and isn't responding to phone calls or emails. We also saw a bike at a repair shop that would cost (according to Frank) about €60. I told Esther I would be happy to get the cheaper old bike, but Esther told me that she and Frank thought the new bike was a really good deal, since it was about the same cost as getting an old bike fixed... and it's new.
I tried to ride it, but the seat was WAY too high and we had to wait for the guy with the key to come back. They set it as low as possible and I think it's just right. I can't put my foot all the way on the ground, but I can actually steady myself with my foot while seated! YAY! It's also much lighter and easier to handle - I can actually turn with it!
Unfortunately, the pedals have brakes so I can't readjust the pedals like I would prefer, but when you move it back and forth (only for about a foot or so) the pedals go with so they're easier to adjust. It also doesn't have gears, so I guess that means my legs are just going to have to get stronger. DANG IT. Also, my brother once said about the old bike that the seat looked like it was pointed a little upwards... and after riding the new bike, I think he was right. Now I feel like I'm going to slip off! I think I'll easily get used to it, but it was kind of funny at first. Also, you have to lean over more when riding (my other one was meant for more leisurely riding) so now my arms are actually involved in the process. Weird.
Although the picture is blurry (from my already replaced old camera), please note my frowny face of dissatisfaction with the old bike.
My face isn't in the picture with the new bike, but it is assuredly more satisfied looking.
All in all, I'm VERY happy and excited! I think now we can put an attachment on my bike so I can take the kids in the "fahrrad anhanger" (I am drawing a total blank as to what it's called in English). Yay!
Lastly, odds are good that I'm going to Munich for Oktoberfest!! One of Jenny's good friends from Carleton, Emily, became a friend of mine, too (due to our mutual awesomeness, duh) and she's going to be there the weekend of September 25-27. She said she thinks they'll have room for me in their hotel room, but if not I will just have to get another one! I really was wanting to go to Oktoberfest (since I can't really go to Germany for only one year and NOT go) but was wondering who I would go with since I don't know anybody yet. Plus Esther will be taking the kids to visit her parents that weekend and Frank will be gone for a few days then, too. If that isn't the hand of God, I don't know what is! Emily will be flying into Prague, and while I'd love to go there, too, it will be there all year and Oktoberfest... well, won't.
So, pray that things will work out and Emily will let me come with :)
And that this bike works out well.
And that I'll make friends soon.
Okay, thanks!
LG,
~Julia~
Yesterday evening they had their once-monthly youth service. Esther went with me in the beginning but had somewhere else to go halfway through. We watched a video interview with Bono of U2, which was REALLY interesting. I had no idea he was a Christian and that all of his humanitarian efforts are really scripturally based. Anyway, afterwards we sat around the tables to discuss which was PERFECT. The age groups really ranged and there were mostly teenagers, but I had seen a table of college-age looking people which I quickly joined. They were really nice, as well, and complimented my German :) I had trouble following the conversation, but was mostly able to get the jist. After the Pastor formally closed the service, they sat around chatting for a bit, so I stayed, too. I left before they did, though, because it was getting dark and 1) I didn't know how to use the light on my bike, and 2) I hadn't ridden my bike so far alone yet. I'm really glad I went to the youth service, and really hope that I'll be able to develop friendships with some of the people I met there :)
In other exciting news, today we got a new bike for me! A new store opened and had lots of SUPER cheap stuff, including a bike for only €100. We had talked to one of Esther's friends about maybe taking her old bike, but she has mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet and isn't responding to phone calls or emails. We also saw a bike at a repair shop that would cost (according to Frank) about €60. I told Esther I would be happy to get the cheaper old bike, but Esther told me that she and Frank thought the new bike was a really good deal, since it was about the same cost as getting an old bike fixed... and it's new.
I tried to ride it, but the seat was WAY too high and we had to wait for the guy with the key to come back. They set it as low as possible and I think it's just right. I can't put my foot all the way on the ground, but I can actually steady myself with my foot while seated! YAY! It's also much lighter and easier to handle - I can actually turn with it!
Unfortunately, the pedals have brakes so I can't readjust the pedals like I would prefer, but when you move it back and forth (only for about a foot or so) the pedals go with so they're easier to adjust. It also doesn't have gears, so I guess that means my legs are just going to have to get stronger. DANG IT. Also, my brother once said about the old bike that the seat looked like it was pointed a little upwards... and after riding the new bike, I think he was right. Now I feel like I'm going to slip off! I think I'll easily get used to it, but it was kind of funny at first. Also, you have to lean over more when riding (my other one was meant for more leisurely riding) so now my arms are actually involved in the process. Weird.
Although the picture is blurry (from my already replaced old camera), please note my frowny face of dissatisfaction with the old bike.
My face isn't in the picture with the new bike, but it is assuredly more satisfied looking.
All in all, I'm VERY happy and excited! I think now we can put an attachment on my bike so I can take the kids in the "fahrrad anhanger" (I am drawing a total blank as to what it's called in English). Yay!
Lastly, odds are good that I'm going to Munich for Oktoberfest!! One of Jenny's good friends from Carleton, Emily, became a friend of mine, too (due to our mutual awesomeness, duh) and she's going to be there the weekend of September 25-27. She said she thinks they'll have room for me in their hotel room, but if not I will just have to get another one! I really was wanting to go to Oktoberfest (since I can't really go to Germany for only one year and NOT go) but was wondering who I would go with since I don't know anybody yet. Plus Esther will be taking the kids to visit her parents that weekend and Frank will be gone for a few days then, too. If that isn't the hand of God, I don't know what is! Emily will be flying into Prague, and while I'd love to go there, too, it will be there all year and Oktoberfest... well, won't.
So, pray that things will work out and Emily will let me come with :)
And that this bike works out well.
And that I'll make friends soon.
Okay, thanks!
LG,
~Julia~
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