B&B (Brussels and Brugge)

Time has been flying this last month. I don't know where the time is going. I have been working for my new family for about a month and a half now and they are still so wonderful. I am very very blessed to have found them.

So my latest adventure was a very interesting one. I wish I could say I had a blast and it went wonderful but well I can't. So Trixi and I decided we would like to see Boyce Avenue in concert and we really wanted to go see them in Dublin, Ireland. However, she is a full time student here in Munich so she couldn't take off that much time to go all the way to Ireland. So I was looking at what other cities they were going to and found a GREAT deal on a flight to Brussels. It was only 36 Euros round trip. Sounds to good to be true doesn't it?? So we decided that was a good idea. Plus my host dad is actually from Brussels and he can't stop talking about how wonderful the city is and how he would rather live there than Munich (I question his taste now haha).

We bought the airline tickets and the concert tickets and all together it was under 80 euros. After we purchased the tickets we found out that the airline (Ryanair) we had chosen was not the best airline to take. They say they fly to big cities but really the airports are pretty far from the actual city (JUST WHAT I THOUGHT... TO GOOD TO BE TRUE)! So in order for us to get the Munich WEST airport we had to take two trains (1hour travel in each) and a bus. The first train we took we didn't even have sitting seats so we had to stand for an hour on a the train.  When we arrived at the airport I was already saying my goodbye prayers. This airport was the smallest airport I have ever seen and there wasn't even a airplane in sight. To make matters worse they totally lost all credibility with me when I saw a Giant yogurt cup statue outside the building.....

We ended up making it to the "AIRPORT" in Bussels and it took us another hour to get the city via bus. All together I think our trip took us about 8-9 hours when it would have taken us 2-3 tops if we would have taken a real airline. At the point we finally reached Brussels Midi station we thought it couldn't get any worse.....HAHAHAHA!!! So along with Ryanair we also thought we would save money and try out couch surfing. I have other friends who have done it and they had nothing but great experiences. For those of you who do not know what couch surfing is it's basically a community of people who are willing to have guest stay in their place to meet new people. They get to share their culture and be a tour guide for people all over the world. So we found what we thought was a good candidate for our first couch surfing experience. He had many good reviews on his profile and we had messaged back and forth for a couple weeks and he seemed very nice. We had to walk from the train station to his house which wasn't to far but it seemed like an eternity for us. The neighborhood was so scarey and dirty. It's what I picture the worst part of New York to look like. I seriously thought we were going to get mugged so we just walked as fast as we could to his apartment. Trixi and I finally made it to his apartment and it was the dirtiest apartment I have ever seen. Just walking up the stairs to his apartment I could smell the mold coming out of the walls. The stairwell handles were just broken off and laying on the ground. The door to his apartment looked like it had been broken into like a million times and it didn't even shut anymore. If it wasn't locked you could just push it open. We make it to his living room and kitchen and he was showing us around the place. His bathroom was located in the kitchen and was only separated by a shower curtain. The toilet was located in the hall of the apartment building and it was so dirty it looked like someone had already used the bathroom and didn't flush....but no that was just the color stained on the toilet. The kicker to the story is when we were ready to go to sleep all he had were two tiny mattresses without sheets and two blankets that looked like they hadn't been washed in a while. He also only had one very flat pillow so I didn't even have a pillow to sleep on.  Needless to say our trip didn't start out so well. I was already counting down the days til I got to go home. Oh and I also didn't mention that before we even left Munich I had to go to the doctor because I had a eye infection. So I had to wear my glasses the entire time and I couldn't wear any makeup and had to put drops in my eyes four times a day.....ugh WHY?

We made it through the night....barely. We left that house as soon as we could and met Trixi's boyfriend at the train station because he was spending the day with us. I already had a negative outlook on Brussels but the people there were not so nice. For example, I ordered a yogurt for breakfast at a restaurant in the city center and it was frozen solid. I told the waiter and he said he would bring me another one. The next yogurt was also frozen so I told him and he just rolled his eyes at me and walked away. But we were trying to make the best of it.  We went and looked at the little pissing boy statue that Brussels is know for. It is the smallest statue I have ever seen and I don't understand why it's so popular.

 

So we did a bit of site seeing around the city center then we went to the Atomium. It was pretty cool not breathtaking or anything but okay.  

Trixi 

Björn (Trixi's Boyfriend)

That night Björn went back to Germany. Trixi and I went back into the center of town and bought ourselves a street waffle and some french fries. Belgium is know for these things. The waffle was amazing but the fries I didn't care for to much. We were about to head back to the dirt ridden apartment when we heard faint music coming from a distance. We followed the sound and came upon some street performers that were absolutely amazing. We stayed for about an hour just listening to the music in the streets of Belgium. I LOVE EUROPE! I took a video with my iPhone and I will post it at the end of the blog. :) After the free street concert we went back to the apartment so we didn't have to walk in that scary neighborhood in the dark.

BRUGGE
The next morning we headed back to the train station to head to Brugge. It is known as the most european city. The train ride only took us an hour which was really nice and we booked a room at a hostel so we didn't have to sleep in the apartment in Brussels. Brugge is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. It is exactly what you think about when you think about Europe. It has beautiful old buildings and amazing canals all over the city. It is 100% better in every way then Brussels. Trixi and I checked into our hostel and then started our site seeing adventure. We walked around the city and then took a canal tour which was AWESOME! We ended up meeting this really awesome boy from Australia who was also staying in our room in the hostel. He was traveling around Europe for the next 8 months. How cool is that? :) We all ended up going to dinner and to a bar afterwards together. He was the funniest person ever. It was a great night.

Belgium has 600 types of beer and every beer has is very own special glass. 

banana flavored beer (different....not bad)

passion fruit flavored beer (pretty good)  the best was the cherry flavored beer they had on tap. 

Funny story about the guy in the back with the long red beard. His wife was waiting for him inside and he was lost outside wondering around. Max saw him outside and said "that's the greatest beard I've ever seen" then his wife was like "yeah thats my husband" it was super funny. I guess it's one of those things you had to be there. ;)

 The next morning we did a bit more sight seeing but the weather was really bad so we found ourselves a nice coffee shop. We sat and talked and watched the people outside. It was actually really nice. We then had to head back to the train station to catch our train back to Brussels (YAY.....NOT). When we got back we got ready for the Boyce Avenue concert and then went and had dinner. After dinner we just had to get another street waffles because they're amazing. The street waffle cafe actually remembered us and made it extra yummy for us. WHOOHOO!! We then headed to the venue of the concert and it was okay. There really isn't much to say about it. It was just okay. I expected more and the set list was terrible. The opening acts were horrible but the songs they did play were well done just not the songs I wanted to hear.

The next morning I was so happy to be heading back to wonderful Munich and getting out of that horrible apartment. When I arrived home I don't think I have ever been happier to have a clean shower and a nice bed but most of all a PILLOW! I can't say it was a horrible trip because there were definitely some great moments but it wasn't the best. On the way out of Brussels I stepped in dog poop on the sidewalk and I thought that was an appropriate way to end things! hahaha


I'm adding a video I took of the street performers....seriously watch this video they're AMAZING!! I liked them so much I bought a CD from them.....They were much better than Boyce Avenue and they were free to watch.....

My New family, My new life!

The first week in my new family was really great. I am so happy with my decision to change. The children are adorable. Jurian the 5yr old boy loves to play Uno it's hilarious and he is really good at it. I haven't won a single game yet.  Amelie is really cute. She is in a phase right now where all she wants is her mom so it makes watching her a bit challenging but I adore here anyways. :) The parents are really friendly and outgoing. Such a nice change from the last host parents. On the weekend after I arrived I went with the family to the children's kindergarten to watch their maypole ceremony. It's a very Bavarian tradition.  It was so cute to see all the little children in their dirndls and lederhosen. Almost everyone was dressed in them including the parents.

This week I also bought my dirndl and I love it. Molly, Trixi, some other friends and I went to the Fruhlingsfest on Friday and I got to wear my dirndl there YAY! It was a blast. It's basically a mini Oktoberfest but there is nothing mini about it. There are lots of rides and beer tents. You are only allowed to drink your beer in the tents and the Liter beers cost 9 EUROS!! However, Trixi told me that the beer at Oktoberfest is a special kind of beer and it's much stronger than the already strong German beer. Therefore, one liter of beer is equivalent to 8 shots so 9 euros isn't that bad. Trixi and I went on a couple rides before the park closed down. We went on the Farris Wheel and the swings that turn around in the air. It was so much fun. I am so looking forward to Oktoberfest.

This week I also started my German classes. German is so hard already for me but I am excited to learn and be able to talk to the children and go to German speaking meet up and actually participate. I met a couple of new people in my class and they are all very nice. I hope to get to know them a bit better as the class goes on. There is also a boy from Poland in my class who looks so much like my brother Jesse that it creeps me out. I really want to take a picture of him but he doesn't speak any English so i can't ask him. I would try to sneak a picture but I don't want to look like a creeper. I'll see what I can do but if I end up getting one I will post it on here.

It's been a pretty good week all in all but I did get a bit homesick yesterday. My family is in Portland to see my brother and sister-in-law graduate from college and I was really sad that I didn't get to be apart of it. However, I am very proud of them. Also I miss my friends back home and going to the Bell Lounge and singing with everyone. I love and miss you all. MAUH!

Me in my new dirndl:) Funny because I didn't notice until after I purchased it was American colors.

Trixi and I on the Ferris wheel

                                         

View from the top of the ferris wheel 

                               

me sitting in the ferris wheel

Amelie and me

                                                                     

Jurian and Amelie

Amelie with her classic Amelie face :)

                                                 

Independence day!

Today is my independence day! I am finally free from my evil host mom. It has a been a really hard two weeks but I am finally free. I'm really going to miss the children and It broke my heart when I left because they were very upset. I wish I could pack them in my suitcase and take them with me. They have a very hard life ahead of them with a mom like that. My new host family is seriously so great. I could not be any happier at the moment. They are so welcoming and warm. I love my new room as well. It is very cute and cozy and it has a balcony which is awesome. The children are very cautious of me at the moment it's kinda cute. They just stare at me with wondrous eyes. I think things are looking up. I start my German classes next week and I am very excited about that. :) Maybe someday I can do a post in German!

Superman Paul

This last weekend was really nice, well Sunday anyway. :) I went with my good friends Paul and Michaela to a spa here for Michaela's birthday. It was a blast! This place is huge. The sign says it's the biggest spa in the world. It has 3 major areas and two of the area's are spa areas. One area is a family spa area and everyone wears bathing suits and it's really loud there. The other area is for adults only and you're actually not allowed to wear a bathing suit in this area. That's the area we were mostly. At first I was a little nervous and uncomfortable about being naked but it went away after a while. It was actually quite exhilarating and it was nice. There was a big pool in this area and a swim up bar. You could also swim from the inside pool to an outside pool. They have like 30 different sauna's with all different types of temperatures and smells. They also have different kinds of mineral baths for healing and aging. There were three different restaurants really anything you could ask for. Oh and the coolest part they have these rooms that are just for sleeping. They have waterbeds in them and they play really relaxing music. How cool is that? The third section is a water park.  It has all different types of water slides. SO MUCH FUN! You're not allowed to take pictures in the spa due to everyone being naked but I managed to sneak one anyway. It's not very good but here it is.

Paul knew that he would have his own section in my blog about how he is the most awesome person in the world. :) So we were going down one of the slides on a tube. Michaela and I were on a tube together and he was behind us on his own tube. As we were going down the slide I looked back to see that Paul had fallen off his tube. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. The part that makes him the coolest person in the world is against all odds he managed to get BACK ON HIS TUBE! I can say I would not have been able to do that. That was definitely the highlight of the day. I seriously laughed forever after that. I sometimes see the mental picture in my head and just laugh. SO FUNNY!

I am now working my last week here in my current house. It's going to be so nice to finish with this family and go to my new family. I will miss the children so much but I will not miss the crap I have to put up with everyday.  Oh and I signed up for German classes finally I start on the 7th of May. I'm very excited about that. :) Yay for having time to do things other than clean!!!

Shit happens!

So things here have been even more difficult and I have decided to leave this family and move to a new family and remove myself from the negative things that happen in this house. I have found myself a new family and I have met with them and they are so wonderful. They are so kind and understanding and the children are so adorable. The children are younger and I really think that is also in my best interest. I love younger children and love working with them. I gave my two weeks notice yesterday and it was very difficult and didn't go very well. The next two weeks are going to be very awkward and hard but will be worth it in the end. I have learned from this situation that I have to do whats best for me and not worry about what others are going to say or think. I know that the decisions I am making in my life are for the best.

On a more upbeat note I have been making some great new friends. I went to a English speaking meet up and met some really nice people who I have been hanging out with lately. They are very fun and so nice. I am very happy that when I start working for the new family I am going to have more time to do things like that. Last Wednesday a group of friends and myself went to karaoke and it was such a blast. Germans really know how to have fun when it comes to karaoke. I love it here. :) Here are some pictures from karaoke on Wednesday...

I got to skype with Davey, Kellie, Emma, and Elana last night and it made me very happy. It was definitely the best part of my day! I got to see Elana walk and Emma sang me her ABC's it was awesome. I really miss them and many others. I miss my mama and my Sarbear. I love you all and I miss you all terribly. Although I have been having some trouble with my host family I do love it in Munich and I'm so happy I decided to come here.

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.

For those of you who I don't talk to on a regular basis you probably do not know I have been having kinda of a hard time here in Munich. I am having a hard time with my house mother who feels that it's okay to treat people any way she likes and say things that are hurtful with no concern for human feelings. I have been struggling as to whether I try and stick it out, because I absolutely adore the children, or to move on to a new family and start all over. In the last couple of weeks I have been feeling like it might even be best for me to just call it a loss and move back home. I feel like staying here in this house with her is not an option anymore. I have tried talking to her and have tried to voice my concern hoping for some change. However, things have not gotten any better if anything it has gotten worse since our talk. I feel as if I just give up and go back home I will always regret not giving it one last shot. So today I went to an au pair agency and filled out an application to find a new family. I am going to try my best to stay positive and make the most of my time here in my current house. I want to enjoy the children while I'm still around them. I however, I can not wait til I get to leave this house and maybe work for someone who can have respect for others feelings and appreciate the hard work I do for them. I do believe that God has a plan for me and whatever is meant to be will happen will.

spring is in the air

Well nothing really interesting has been going on the last couple of weeks. I am 100 percent back to healthy after my hospital visit. That's a good thing. :) The weather is much nicer here and there are some wonderful sunny days. I can't wait until those days are more frequent and I can start ridding my bike everywhere. I am just very impatient and really wish for summer to be here now. I really want to wear summer clothes and sit outside and read a book. :) Hope things are going well for all of you back home. Miss you guys!