So, for a few days around Thanksgiving I thought I was moving back to the US. I was surprised to find that I was very excited by this prospect. I love living in Berlin, but being an au pair requires a mindset that gets to be a bit tiring. Privacy is completely nonexistent, and although a schedule was promised there are are hardly any of us au pairs that have received one. Starting over with a new family was something that seemed completely dreadful to me, but at the last minute I found a wonderful family (thanks Sarah!) who was sympathetic to my situation and wanted to try having an au pair for their two adorable kids. I moved in with them after an abrupt goodbye with Jeannette, Julie and Max and right before a three week trip home! My amazing parents asked me if I wanted to come home for Christmas. Okay, that's not quite right: my dad asked me if I wanted to come home while it was left as a complete surprise for my mom! It was great. She was truly surprised and it was so good to be home. It's impossible to put it into words. Germany is an XXXX country and I really love living here, but it's wonderful to know that I'm excited to live in the US for the rest of my life, if that's what's meant to be. I guess I really did have to move 4000 miles to appreciate what I've always had.
After a great weekend in Frankfurt with my Aunt Barb (who was on her way to India to meet up with my Uncle and their two friends for a month) I started working for Katharina and Reiner. They are so incredibly nice I have to pinch myself sometimes. They have two girls, Lotti and Clara. Lotti is seven and she's very sweet. Pretty tomboyish, obsessed with horses and has very good handwriting. Clara is five and she is a p-i-s-t-o-l. Loves pink, princesses (wears a dress over her jeans everyday) and although she weighs about 35 pounds she is STRONG. I've learned about five times more German in this one month than I did in my previous six, and my classes haven't even started yet. The girls are very patient with me. I pick up Clara every day at 2:00 and work until a bit before 7:00, with maybe 5 -10 hours on the weekends. It's a perfect schedule.
The only downside to my new situation is that I don't have internet. I'm working on a solution, but it's really not all that bad. Even more than that, I know it's good for me! Reading books. Learning German. Not being a zombie looking at a computer screen, blah blah blah.
Moral of the story: I'm incredibly happy. I got to spend three weeks with my family and friends and I get to spend another four months with great people in one of the most exciting places I've ever been. Also, bring on the Deutch! I'm ready now.
My new girls!
