Barcelona Part 1

It may have taken me a month and a half but I am finally sharing my photos from my Barcelona trip in mid September. I loved Barcelona, it was truly unlike any city I have visited before. It has such a vibrant and lively air. There are all different kinds of people, blends of architecture and something to be had by all for shopping, eating, drinking, you name it. I loved the idea of a big city on the water that had warm sandy beaches you can walk to - my kind of place. Our trip ended a little strangely, but that was largely a result of heavy partying (Barcelona goes pretty hard at night time) and still trying to pack in all of the daytime sights. I definitely plan to go back, because even though I felt I saw many of the sights there were tons I missed. Particularly Parc Guell (so bummed I missed that one, but it's a great excuse to return)!

I took a large amount of photos and tried to slim them down for this post, also breaking it up into two posts with my photos of Sagrada Famlia to follow. That cathedral really took my breath away. Here is a healthy look at what we saw in Barca. :)

Life Update via my iPhone

The past two weeks have had huge ups and downs. Truly, the difference in the days was tremendous. But I feel like I came out on top kicking! I worked through a lot that I needed to on my own, and had mature conversations with my host parents that were not that easy to address. So far, everything worked out very well (fingers crossed that it stays that way).

I'm working on reminding myself that there is no reason to stress, I'm here for a fun and adveturous chapter of my life. It doesn't make sense to take things too seriously. 

All of that said, here are some pictures from my iPhone of life lately, I've really been enjoying myself! 

It's 21 degrees here today, so I'm about to bike into the city for a day of enjoying beer at the Seehaus Biergarten in the Englischer Garten. 

Schönes wochenende!!

xxoo

5 Things They Don't Tell You About Au Pair Life

As I searched for an au pair agency (I didn't end up using one but instead made a free profile on aupairworld.net) and host family I stumbled a little when I thought about what exactly I wanted in a family. Some profiles were obvious to decline, but others seemed warm, welcoming and honest about their expectations for and of an incoming au pair. But how can you tell which family is lying because they know what sounds good to potential au pairs? 

The first step in choosing a family is to make sure you can skype with them, and if they have had an au pair previously, always make sure you get to talk to them. If you're not able to communicate with the au pair that comes before you, this is likely very bad (duh). 

I was able to talk with my family's au pair before me, she is also from California and we share the same name - which was a freaky coincidence and nothing more. I am unbelievably grateful that I got to speak with her. She was candid about the family, as much as she could be with some other girl she had never met. When I decided on this host family and arrived here, we overlapped for about a month and she taught me more than I could have ever dreamed. I'm happy to report that she and I became very close friends! Shout out to Kaitlyn - I hope San Diego is sunny and delightful for you. :) 

However fantastic Kaitlyn is though, or any au pair you come after, there will just be things that either they can not express to you or that you both handle very differently. Here are 5 things that I did not necessarily expect, and I wish I had known about before I arrived:

1. Living Where You Work Is Hard

This seems obvious, but when you want downtime to relax at home on a day off, often times you end up working or helping out. In my case, I'm able to retreat to the basement area or stay in my room. This isn't always possible depending on living situations though. And sometimes you just want a day to sit on the couch and drink tea and watch tv and sloth. You can't do that when the three kids you usually watch are making a playdoh pizza on the kitchen table. 

2. Light Housework Is Not Always Light

In my contract it stated responsibilities as "childcare and light housework" it went on to give a percentage breakdown of "90% childcare, 10% housework". Most German au pair contracts are similar. The stories I have heard about whether the family's follow this breakdown vary wildly. In my case, I was afraid of this so I took care to ask my potential host mom what my responsibilities would be in detail. She was a little vague, which I should have seen as a warning sign. I am currently struggling with broaching the subject of how much house work I do. Based on comparisons with other au pairs, cleaning the kitchen/table and doing dishes after meals, picking up the kids' bedrooms, and doing your own laundry seems to be the most appropriate interpretation of "light" housework. My responsibilities go way above that and this leads to some resentment on my part, as well as me constantly going over my daily maximum of hours worked. So beware. Make sure to ask detailed questions about housework to the host mom, and the au pair before you (when possible). Then, if it doesn't match your expectations once you arrive, address it as soon as possible. This brings me to number 3.....

3. Negotiate Your Contract, Stand Up For Yourself When It Is Stretched Or Broken

Again, this is tough when you live with your boss. But if resentments and frustrations about being over-worked aren't talked about it is likely to explode in a big way down the road. Know what your contract states, and when they send you a copy to sign, actually read it. I read mine, and things still did not turn out exactly how I imagined them, and that's ok. It is then important to address those concerns and confusions as soon as they arise. Just like in any relationship with another person, communication with your host parents is key. I feel like I am a constant fountain of questions, but I should be! I am living in a new country, with a new family, speaking a new language. It's going to take me longer than 7 weeks to understand their intricacies and expectations. 

4. Children Want Their Parents More Than You

 Fact. Time can help this, but all kids want mommy and daddy to be the ones to sit by them, or brush their hair, or put on their shoes, etc. This can make you feel a little useless as the au pair. Give it time, sometimes just sitting there and talking with/distracting them is enough. Hopefully the parent will tell you when there are things that you can help with while the children are being particular. It can take a few months for this to even out and for the children to complete trust and accept you, just wide that wave patiently. So far, some days are great and other days all three kids scream when I try to help with anything. 

5. A Big House Is Not Always Best

My host family has a new, gorgeous modern home. It's a gigantic cement block with walls of windows. This is nice sometimes, but there are two problems: everything is white and the place is huge. This means that with 3 kids under 5 years-old, all dirt and smudges show. Also, there's a crazy amount of surface area to clean. The upside is that I have great accommodations that are removed from the family, my living area in the basement is relatively private. I still have not decided if I would have preferred a smaller place where my room is in closer proximity. Everyone's ideal is different, but it's something to consider when choosing a host family.

Happy Weekend!

This weekend is particularly special because my host family is in Austria! And I am not! This means an official 2 days off, and I have lots planned with friends all day today and tomorrow. 

I'm heading to Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens today since it is finally sunny and a little warm, then making dinner and cocktails at my place tonight. I haven't decided what to make yet, but it will definitely be paired with my go-to drink, a Basil Gin Gimlet. 

Check back for photos of the day, and shönes wochenende!

xxoo 

Blue Skies

It is not even hump day yet, but this week has been fantastic! Sunday was the perfect weekend day. It was clear, brilliant, crisp, and I went for a walk through the Englischer Garten that really set me at ease and made me genuinely happy. Marcella, her South African friend Maya and I made an awesome pasta and veggie lunch, with a bottle of white wine (duh). I had afternoon coffee and cake with the family, and my host dad's nephew came by to join. He's a college student here in Munich and is seriously so nice. I continue to be surprised and pleased when I meet people here. Everyone has been friendly and outgoing, eager to introduce me to other people and to show me around the city. I'm making friends! 

After cake we went for a family walk that was also quite relaxing despite having three tiny kids yelling and shoving the entire time. Thus far, this week has been manageable. There have been tantrums and screaming and biting but I am pretty positive that with three kids under 5-years-old that is a daily occurrence. The kids are trusting me more now that they have seen I'm a permanent fixture in their routines and lives. They still only want mom or dad to brush their hair and sit by them at breakfast, but when I pick them up from Kindergarten they come running and calling my name. It is a good feeling to be wanted by them, even if only a couple of times a day. 

Today went great, so I'm on a high of getting along with the kids. Yesterday was miserable at times with lots of crying (from the kids) and demands/bargains that I couldn't give them. I ended yesterday with a bottle (or 2) of wine, chocolate, good company and a funny movie. I've found that however difficult a day is - it's usually better when I get myself out of the house and interact with people my own age. 

Along the same note of making friends: I have so many invitations! I was never worried about not making friends, but I was starting to wonder about the when stipulation. Seemingly out of the blue I ended up getting three messages today all from different new friends/acquaintances inviting me out. I'm super excited for coffee and nights out with these girls, so far it is all good vibes. 

Here is to the rest of my week reflecting these great days so far! 

^^the adorable shared kitchen in Marcella's dorm."

^^sometimes you can totally tell the Isar is manmade.^^

^^the Chinese Tower biergarten. I spy with my lil eye a Bayerishe band playing in the middle!^^

^^a stellar view of the park and city on a crystal day.^^

^^fun fact: this Munich chancellor's building was partially destroyed during WWII. During the rebuilding process, the government built the new portions with glass to symbolize their transparency.^^

^^Residenz: exactly what it sounds like, German royalty's residence.^^

^^this past Sunday was the Munich marathon, so there were some literal road blocks on our walk.^^

^^the myth here is that you rub three of these little gold lions as you walk by for good luck.^^

^^more of the Residenz. I take a tour on Friday so more pics of this castle to come.^^

^^wine. always.^^

^^I spent my Tuesday morning organizing toys and completing puzzles. au pair life.^^

^^when he's happy, I'm happy.^^

^^for some reason riding down the slide together is doubly as fun.^^

I'm in the process of a new blog design now, and I'm excited to get that up and running! Aesthetics make it even more fun. ;)

Grüß Gott

I had no car today, so the kids and I walked to the Kindergarten. It's only about 20 minutes with two kids in the Kinderwagen (stroller) and one on the buggy board hooked behind it. I took the opportunity to walk the long way home through our neighborhood in Solln, and as before, I am just so pleased at how gorgeous this little part of Munich is. It has a cozy, small town feel even though we are within the Munich city limits.

We have our own little fruit stand and bakery 4 blocks from our house. Everyone rides their bike places (that's a Munich thing in general). The Kindergartens are small and intimate. They are often in older, traditional looking German homes. Most people greet one another every morning with "Grüß Gott". This greeting is Bavarian for "God greets you" but I have been given the impression that it is just said as a colloquial form of "good day". Overall, people are just friendly. 

For the rest of my free time before the 3:30 pick up, I lounged. Seriously guys, I pretty much did nothing all day. I think I consumed 8 cups of tea. I also accidentally took a coma mid morning when I meant to take a quick nap. No regrets here though, this cool and gray weather just makes me sleepy. 

Here are some snaps of life lately on my iphone:

^^is there anything cuter than children in trachten? the answer is no.^^

^^while I'm sad to see Oktoberfest go, my body needs a break.^^

^^the Kindergarten was closed last Friday so we did a lotttt of water coloring.^^

^^lounging while the kinder made cakes in the sand.^^

^^our small and local grocery store.^^

^^one of three fruit stands in the center of Solln, with our church and tower behind it.^^

^^I can't take any Southern Californian 'fall' pictures seriously now.^^

^^I love muesli, but this protein-loaded breakfast was awesome yesterday.^^

^^it is getting a little colder each day, and he is not too pleased. sleepy little man.^^

^^I found our neighborhood firehouse, too cute!^^

^^I dig the white house with red shutters, this look is really popular in Germany.^^

I'm joining Bloglovin'!

Exciting day guys, I'm finally updating my Bloglovin' profile to include this little gem. We'll see if it behooves me at all, but I have loved utilizing Bloglovin' thus far to explore and keep track of all of the expat blogs I follow. There is pretty much nothing as inspirational as seeing other people's travels and trials. If you're reading, and you are already on Bloglovin' - give me a follow!


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Wiedersehen xxoo