the globe and work as an Au Pair. For those reading who are unfamiliar with the French term, think of
the popular ABC Family movie in the early 2000s (minus the whole marrying the employer bit). An Au
Pair is for practical purposes a glorified international babysitter.
As of tomorrow, I will be living in my host family's home in Munich, Germany. There are three children:
four year-old twins named Max and Emma as well as three year-old Mathilda. They will likely be
celebrities on this lil' blog, so more of them to come in the near future.
And now, a famous quote to get us off to a cliché'ed blog beginning:
"Reputation is something people with courage can do without."- Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara
If you're unsure what movie this quote is referencing, stop reading now and google search Gone With The Wind)
Then spend 4 hours watching it.
This morning I awoke a little after 5:15a.m., West Coast time, to blindly shower and shove last minute
things like a toothbrush and an iPhone charger into my carry-on bag(s). Hi, I'm Katie and I'm an
over-packer. Is it laughable that I'm proud of my 3 checked bags and large carry-on backpack?
I brought a smaller suitcase as a carry-on but was able to sneakily check it at the gate for free.
I love that trick. I loath baggage fees. Remarkably, I checked 3 suitcases and not a single one
was over 50 pounds! The expert packer award goes to me, "I'd to thank my mom and her rolling
skills, Phoebe and her ability to bear her entire weight on a suitcase to zip it closed, and my dad/his
credit card for making the purchase of these suitcase guts possible."
I felt a little swollen and groggy for the first two hours of the journey, but anything in my world can
be cured with coffee and eggs. I look a bit shambly ('sh*t girls say' youtube video reference) but
who do I need to impress on my 18 hour trip? Oh yeah, no one.
Nostalgia, nervousness, nor homesickness have set in and I'm not inviting them to come any
time soon. I am only excited. Excited with curiosity, happiness, relief, all of it. I've felt immense
love in the last few months and especially in the past week and final southern Californian days.
Thank you to everyone who called, accepted my calls, texted, emailed, and gave me hugs and
sweet words. Reminders have been espoused to me by both family and friends about how proud
everyone is of me. While I'm grateful for the encouragement - I don't feel at all like I'm doing any
sort of noble deed.
I'm going off to explore for myself and therein to explore myself. I have almost zero idea what to expect, and
that is what makes all of this thrilling. There is no fear associated with the unknown this time, only
a fiery desire to see what's around the next corner! While I've received confused looks, silent
judgements and spoken judgements of my choice to live and work abroad, I have two things to say
to those that expressed or harbored doubt of my plans:
1. YOU ARE WRONG.
2. Refer to the quote introducing this post.
It's unconventional and random and it's going to be fun as hell so strap in with me and let's go.
This blog will be my way of illustrating my traveling, my day-to-day life, my work, my pleasures,
my embarrassments (yes there will be many) and my new found loves. I am planning to post as
many pictures as I do words. When I'm unable to do that I promise to paint a picture with my
words for you all instead.
Ganz liebe Grüße | Katie
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