1 Month.

Today officially marks 1 month since my arrival in Germany. It has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I am understanding the language more and more each day, I am meeting new people and making new friends, and having new, exciting experiences every day. My family has been out of town on vacation for a week and will be gone for another week- therefore, I have been able to explore on my own time, sleep in, and be free to do whatever I want, whenever I want. It has been amazing. 

Since my last post I have continued to explore my beautiful, new city, and also my surrounding neighborhood some more. My favorite thing to do has become biking across the fields to a nearby town where there is a beautiful, old church and old nunnery, surrounded by a gorgeous and humongous park. Every evening I hop on my bike and trudge on over there, and I simply sit with my thoughts and my music for awhile. It is peaceful and amazing. 

I am planning on meeting up with a childhood friend in Munich next week, which I am so, so excited for. Shannon, get ready to paint the town!

I also want to give an extra-special shout out to my family back home. My birthday is tomorrow (23….EEk!) and somehow my family, even from thousands of miles away, has been managing to make me feel so special and loved. There is nothing that makes me happier than receiving letters in the mail and just realizing how thoughtful my entire family is. I love you all, so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I will be thinking about all of you tomorrow and how much I love and miss you. Until next time.

So much has happened this past week, I don’t know where to begin! First off, last Sunday I went with some friends to the Christopher Street Day Parade, or rather, the BIGGEST gay pride parade in all of Europe. It was insane. It was hot, hot, HOT out, but it was such a great time! We ended up in the Aldstadt (Old Town) area at a beer garden and hung out for hours drinking Kolsch and swapping stories. It was a *fabulous* day! 

The kids are finally beginning to warm up to me.* Correction, Gustav has liked me since day 1, but Pauline is finally starting to warm up to me. The problem was that when their parents were around, the kids knew they didn’t have to listen to me, so they didn’t (understandably). But after a little bribery (ice cream is my best friend) and some alone time with the kids, they were my new pals in no time.

This week I had language class where we had some new students; a French man and a new man and woman from Spain, and I am picking up more and more German each time. I explored the Aldstadt area with my friend Gabriel- which is my favorite area thus far because it is right on the Rhine River. It is simply beautiful.

 

Yesterday Esther and I went to a barbecue for Gustav’s class for the end-of-the-year, and I ate the most delicious food ever. It was adorable and fun and it was a great end to the week. Back to the city tonight to check out a jazz club! Until next time-

PS- On my way home from the parade last Sunday, I accidentally stayed on a train that was going out of order. Thankfully the train conductor did a walk through the train and realized an idiot (ME) was still on it. After a little wait, we turned around, went back to the station and I got on a new train. Ah, that explains why I was the only person on the entire train!!…..

 

Exciting Adventures and the Cathedral Dom

I am finally beginning to settle in over here. Since my last post I have had a second language class, had a night on the town with a new friend, gone shopping alone in Koln, oh, and officially became a citizen of Frechen, NRW, DE! 

 

My second language class was much better than the first one. Because my classmates and I are more comfortable with each other now and no longer nervous, we have fun learning new words that sound like alien-talk to us non-Germans. 

On Friday my friend Gabriel and I decided to have a chill night out in Cologne, where we went to dinner at a steakhouse type place that was pretty good. I also had my first Kolsch, official beer of Cologne brewed right in the city! It was crisp and delicious and we got them mixed with sprite which sounded interesting, but was so good. After dinner we walked around for awhile looking for a big outdoor party to celebrate pride weekend here (which had just begun), but after a failed attempt at finding it, we decided to get some wine and hang out outside on that beautiful night. 

 

Lastly, I want to mention the Dom (The Cologne Cathedral, and U.N.E.S.C.O. World heritage Site). Directly outside of the central train station lies one of the biggest Roman gothic churches in the world, and although I’ve walked past it maybe 15 times thus far, everytime I see it I can’t help but pause and stare for a bit. The Dom is so large and unlike any other architecture I’ve seen before. The best part is being able to sit on the front steps along with plenty of other people, and simply be able to turn your head and look at the beautiful cathedral. Looking at pictures online could never do it justice. I will post better pictures once I am able to get over the grandeur of it, but for now- have a peek at the few I’ve managed to snap. 

And these guys were cool.

Until next time, Kelly

First language class in Koln.

Hey! Last night I had my first language class in the big city. Frechen borders the city’s west side, just like Oak Park does to Chicago, so navigating to the city is pretty easy. Olaf had taken me to the city where my language class would be held, but I was still nervous about getting there on my own. After throwing back an espresso, I was on my way.

First I walk 10 minutes to the Frechen S-Bahn (train stop), and then I get off at the biggest stop, which is the city center, smack dab in the middle of Cologne. When you step outside of the train station, the view is overwhelming. One of the largest cathedrals in the world, and an U.N.E.S.C.O. recognized site, the Cologne Cathedral, is directly outside of the station. I forgot my phone so unfortunately I don’t have pictures, but I will take some tomorrow before class. When I stepped out of the station and realized the cathedral was nowhere in sight, I panicked a little, and started walking. I almost immediately found a sign for the cathedral and was on my way the the central station. After about 15 minutes I had found my language class, let out a huge sigh of relief, and went into the VHS building where my class was being held.

The class was interesting. Hard, to say the least, but great at the same time. The teacher barely spoke anything other than German to us, along with a little bit of English (which kind of made me feel bad for anyone who didn’t speak English as well.) It was 3 hours long with a 15-minute break, and needless to say, I learned a lot. I made some really cool friends, which I am most excited about. They hail from all over the world, too- Columbia, Spain, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Russia, just to name a few. 

My new friends and I made some plans to get some beer after class tomorrow, so I am really looking forward to getting to know this incredibly diverse group of people furthermore tomorrow. Tschuss!

A German Birthday Party

Hi! Today we celebrated Pauline’s 6th birthday party with 12 of her friends at a sort of petting zoo type place about 20 minutes from home. It was an exhausting day, but a fun one. We also went to Pauline’s kindergarten on Saturday where she and all of her classmates had had a sleepover and performed a show for us in the morning. It was adorable. Through a combination of body language and facial expressions I am quickly picking up what people are talking about, especially at the kindergaten performance, because children are so expressive. 

Back to the birthday party. There were a few adults at the soiree but I decided to stick with the kids as they went on a treasure hunt around the farm, and eventually found the booty filled with boxes of food to feed the farm animals with. It was a hilarious ending to a very detailed treasure hunt. The funniest part of the day was the kids realizing that I didn’t yet speak any German and speaking it to me anyways. Like I said earlier though, through a combination of body language and with help from some of the other kids, I understood fairly well what they were saying to me. The kids ate sausages and we fed animals and opened presents, and I ended the day by shopping with Esther (the kids’ mother) for fresh fruit and flowers from the farm’s store.

I start my language course tomorrow evening in Koln which I am super excited for. I can’t wait to meet some friends and explore the beautiful city some more. For now, it’s time to hit the hay and recharge for another exciting day tomorrow. 

Pauline’s Kindergarten show, complete with professional magician

Found a little bit of home at the “English Store” in Cologne. Check out the prices- 40 Euros + a bottle deposit for a 12-pack of Sam Adams!

 

 

The kids receiving the treasure map.

This one’s for you, Danny!

First few days

It is 11 am on my third day in Deutschland, and I’ve decided to talk about my first few adventures! I also wanted to share a few of the pictures I have taken thus far, including ones of my new home, room, and neighborhood. Today I had an appointment at the bank to set up my “cash card” (essentially a debit card) but I couldn’t find the bank… oops! Anyways, I just returned from walking Amelie and I must say I am still in awe at where the Hornig’s live. Their town, called Frechen, is more of a neighborhood that directly borders the major city of Cologne. Their subdivision is made up of gorgeous single family homes that are all impeccably maintained. However, not more than 2 blocks away are beautiful and open potato and beet fields, where the locals go running and walk their dogs. To have a place so peaceful so nearby is wonderful. The fields have many pathways that connect to different neighborhoods, but they are quite a ways away. It is simply beautiful.

The family I am living with is also wonderful. I must say, I was nervous to meet the kids for the reason that I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to communicate with them. After saying a few introductory words to them, they both looked at me and spoke almost perfect English back to me. I was so happy! They actually speak English a little better than their parents! They are adorable and we have had a blast getting acquainted and playing. I also brought them a few pounds of candy from Ferrara Pan which they loved and ate entirely by the first night. I will post some more detailed descriptions later on but for now, it’s off the explore the area some more. Tschuss! 

 

 

“To travel is to live.” -Hans Christian Andersen

I’ve always wanted to travel, for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a brother living in Asia only intensified that desire. Once graduation came near, I saw my opportunity. No debts, no career, no significant other- nothing was holding me back from experiencing other countries. After boatloads of research and finding the perfect family, it was settled. I would move to Germany for 12 months and aupair for the Hornigs in Frechen, Germany. I had never been more excited for an adventure in my life. So here I am on my second day in Deutschland, and I can already tell that this is going to be an amazing year. So far there has been a lot of assimilating and running around, but I couldn’t be happier. More details about my first couple of days in the next post. But for now- the important stuff, aka, picking up Pauline from school and not getting lost, and making my first trip to the supermarket and SURVIVING! I’ll explain that more later though. For now, it’s off to bed for me. Another fun, busy day lies ahead of me tomorrow. Tschüss! 

Part of my welcoming committee at the airport, 8 year-old boxer Amelie! We’re best friends already.