Oktoberfest!

Friday night my friend Jess who is also an aupair and I  packed our back packs and set out for our Oktoberfest adventure. 
On our way to Munich we did a thing called mitfahren which is a carpooling service that is used all across europe. If you have some extra seats in your car you can go on the website and give a time, date and price you want. It is a lot cheaper than trains and our ride was a lot more fun than a train ride. We lucked out and had a guy who had a DVD player and a really great singing voice. We watched the movie " Catch me if you can" and after that our driver and one of the other passengers sang to carnival songs which are songs that are really popular Cologne songs that play during carnival season. It was hilarious and gave me a good laugh. We arrived to Munich at 11:30 pm where our next mission was to find the place we were couchsurfing at. Couchsurfing is free. It allows you to meet locals and well sleep on their couch except Jess and I lucked out again. We got a guy who was a male nurse and lived in a dorm and the dorm next to him was vacant and for some reason he had the key so we got our own little private room. After meeting Benni, our host for the weekend we go to sleep. We tried to be up at 5:30 am so we can get a spot in the tent we wanted but for me that's impossible we made it to the grounds at 9 am which I was happy with. The one thing I wanted to see most was the tapping of the keg that is done by the Mayor however since it was opening day and didn't have a table we ended up only being able to hear the count down to the tapping of the keg which hey is good enough for me. After the tapping of the keg the beer drinking began and it was so much fun. Even though the weather was really bad it didn't stop anyone from having a good time. We got a table outside of the tent that was covered a bit so we sat down with an older Canadian couple and four Germans who showed us how to order in Bavarian and drink like Bavarians by the end of the day I was full beer and ready for bed. 

Oktoberfest, 
Thanks for the beer!

xo 

Brusselicious!!!!!

The one thing I love most about Europe is that you can drive two hours and be in a completely different country where they speak a completely different language. I find it so very cool. Saturday a friend and I decided to go Brussels which takes about two hours and twenty minutes. We spent the day walking around the lovely city. It is true that waffles taste better in Belgium but another type of food that Belgium is known for are their french fries and let me tell you the french fries were so brusselicious. Seeing as french fries are my favourite food I was in heaven. Brussels has much more to offer then it's food, it is a very cute city that was very busy. in the city centre it was so alive and the scenery was beautiful. There is so much to do that I found one day wasn't enough so I do hope to go back and since its so close it shouldn't be a problem!

A new week starts tomorrow which means it's another week helping out at the school. I have been helping at the school for about a month now and so far it's been going really well. I am always helping these two little boys who are both very funny. I told them one day that I wished I had a younger brother  and they both told me they will be my brothers hahah it made me laugh. So if I come home with two little kids at the airport don't be surprised. 

Have a great week!!!!

xo 

Kids these days

Today was my second day back at the International School. I will be there until my time in Germany is over. I am helping in a grades 3/4 class. I went into this class because the english teacher is very good and was recommended to me. So far I am really enjoying it. The class is a lot of fun because I helped some of them when I first volunteered back in March and then Yannic is in the class along with most of his friends all of which I know pretty well. When I first met the class they made me count up to ten in German I of course did it with out any problems. One of the things I am excited out by being here in this class is that I will hopefully become better at German because I will be speaking with kids all day and I find they use vocabulary that is easier for me to understand. 
Not a lot of drama has happened with the kids seen as it is only their second day of being back. The only thing really to happen was today a boy in grade 4 locked himself in the boys bathroom and wouldn't come out. Finally he let some of his good friends come in who talked to him and convinced him to come out. His reasoning was because he had a bad music class and didn't get along with the teacher. I find it to be that boys at that age are a lot more emotional then girls and cause a lot more drama. Every time there is some sort of arguing or crying it always seems to be involving boys. Maybe it's just they need to get it out of their system so by the time they reach being a teenager they never cry and then its girl who take on having the issues. 

Since summer is over everything is slowly getting back to normal in the house. I had to watch the boys on Wednesday evening . Every time I am left alone with them one of them always wants to test me, this time it was Yannic. Over the summer Yannic got an Ipod that he is obsessed with. He is always playing it and once he starts playing he won't stop. When he came home from school I let him play thinking it wasn't going to be that hard to get him to stop but i was wrong. I have been here for six months almost and not once has Yannic ever cried to me until that night. I took away his Ipod and he started crying and yelling at me because he was being chased by cops and now he is dead and has to start all over. I was thinking to myself why can't you just be like a girl and go play with barbies. It's funny to me the things boys cry over compared to girls. Us girls always have a good logic and reason to why we cry .... right ? 
After that night Yannic got his Ipod taken away because he wasn't listening to me and then he hit Dominic in the face with a towel which caused Dominic to be upset and since we're best friends he asked me to lye with him in his bunk bed which made a good ending to the hectic night that it was. As for Yannic and I we're currently friends off. 

xo 

Adventure is out there!

It's been a while since I last wrote and since then a lot has happened. This summer has been a summer I will remember for ever. 

The first stop on mine and Lucas's travels was the lovely city Barcelona. We loved Barcelona because it was hot and the city was really fun. One of my favourite things about Barcelona was the Gothic Quarter. It had small side streets with tons of little shops. On our second last day we decided to rent bikes because we thought it would be fun to bike in the Gothic Quarter and make it easier to get to all the things we wanted to see. We had the bikes for 24 hours. We took the bikes out at night which we enjoyed a lot because it was nice and quiet. We biked all the way to the magic fountain that was supposed to be covered in lights but when we got there it was dark and very anti climatic. We ended up climbing up these stairs where we got to see a really nice view of the whole city. The one thing we wish we did more of was go to the beach. We went and sat by the beach a couple times but not as much as we wished. I find it hard to do everything you want when you have so much to see in a city but aren't there for long but we saw and did as much as we could so in the end our Barcelona adventure was a success!

Next stop was Krakow. We went to Krakow specifically to see Auschwitz. The first day we arrived it was 8pm. We found our Hostel and then walked to find something to eat and since we had to get up early for the Auschwitz tour we just hung out back at the hostel. In the morning we left for the Auschwitz at 8 am where we did a five hour tour which included the hour ride there and hour ride back so in total we had a 3 hour tour of the Auschwitz. The Auschwitz was very sad however I found the way the set up the museum to be very well done. After the tour we went back to the city where we were just going to relax and hangout so we weren't to tired for our long train ride in the morning but being young that didn't happen. We went out on a pub crawl that was run by 2 girls and 2 guys. Where we went to meet them was in the city centre of Krakow and it was the coolest city centre I have seen so far I only got to see it for a few hours and so it's definitely a place i'd like to go back to.  Anyways back to the pub crawl, on the pub crawl it ended up just being Lucas and I which was a lot of fun, it was so much fun the 12 hour train ride to Budapest the next morning was very interesting to say the least. 

Next stop Budapest. We arrived really late to Budapest so we found our hostel and just went to sleep. The next day we woke up and walked around the city which was very beautiful. The buildings that surround Budapest are so detailed and old but they have kept them all in good shape. It was very cheap in Budapest. We found an all you can eat buffet for 5 euros a person. Lucas was in heaven. Everyday he always ate there because it had pretty good food and you can beat 5 euros. I found it was more expensive to go to the bathroom then it was to buy a 1L bottle of water. My favourite part of Budapest was the Citadel. We walked up these stairs for a good 45 minutes i'd say and when you reach the top you get a 360 degree view of Budapest which was so very cool. Another thing i'd recommend doing if you go to Budapest is going to the bath houses and asking for a massage .... you will have quit the experience. To end our last night in Budapest we went on a Booze cruise along the Danube. They handed each person on the boat a full bottle of champagne ... long story short the next day was awful. I am never drinking champagne again. 

Next stop Amsterdam. We flew into Eindhoven where we caught a bus that took us to Amsterdam. The bus ride was about an hour. When we arrived in Amsterdam we got a hotel because we were tired of hostels and wanted to have a nice relaxing last weekend away. We thought getting a hotel would be hard but it was really easy and not that expensive. Our first night we just relaxed . On our second day we walked threw the canal streets and did the Heineken experience. We got to see how Heineken beer was made and we got a lot of free beer. Amsterdam I found to be so unique and pretty. It was a good place to end our trip. 

After two weeks of travelling we came back to Cologne where Lucas spent his last week. He hung out with me and the boys. We took the boys to the zoo and did a gondola ride across the Rhine which is Colognes main river. The boys grew to like Lucas very fast and enjoyed having him visit. They were just as sad as me when having to say good bye. 

Two weeks after Lucas left the family gave me four days off because they were going on a trip with the boys to see some friends. I decided to end my summer by going to Rome. I had never gone anywhere alone and so this was a good test for me. Rome is very cool because it is filled with so much history. I found myself walking so much because I wanted to see as much as possible. My favourite place to be was the Trevi Fountain at night. It was so pretty and peaceful although very busy. I could sit and watch the fountain for hours. I ended up meeting a girl in my hostel. We spent most of our time together which was nice and I enjoyed her company. I was so nervous to go alone but in the end it turned out to be a really fun time which makes my future of travelling alone something to look forward to. 

Summer, 

Thanks for being so great, I will see you next year! 

xo 

To My Birthday Buddy!

Lucas and I are leaving today for our big adventure and I won't be able to write in my blog for a while so I am writing this early for someone special. 


As you know my birthday is a very important time of year for me. Not just because of the presents or the fact I turn a year older because eventually I will begin to dislike how I am no longer young and people will eventually say " your to old for presents". I like this day because I get to share my birthday with someone who is very special to me my Papa aka D dog. My favourite memories are from when I was younger and every summer we would spend almost two months in Houghton Michigan with my Nana and Papa. Every summer my Papa and I would always have the same disagreement over which cake is better chocolate or pineapple upside down cake. Now the chocolate cake is not just any ordinary chocolate cake it is covered with m&m's,kit - kat bars and reese pieces. It is by far the most amazing cake I have ever had and my mom has made it every year for the last 19 years. She made me a birthday cake before I left so I wouldn't go a year without one because it is just that good. My Papa's favourite cake is pineapple upside down cake and for a while I could never understand why he would chose that cake over my chocolate cake but eventually I did try it and my Nana makes a good cake as well. If only I get cake sent in the mail ....


Papa,
Happy 39th Birthday! I truly love the fact that I get to share this day with you. I wouldn't want it any other way. You have taught me a lot in my life and we have shared a lot of laughs together. I am sad I won't be able to sit on your lap and open presents like the good old days but hey maybe next year ? I will be thinking of you all day and remember chocolate cake is still better then pineapple upside down cake.


I love you with all my heart,
Your birthday buddy!
xo 

(Almost) Adventure Time!

In three days I will be seeing my boyfriend who I haven't seen in almost four in a half months. Let me tell you it has been a long four in a half months. When he arrives we will spend two days in Colonge and then on Monday, July 16th we will set out to start our two week adventure. I cannot wait!
Since my birthday is on July 20th and I happen to be turning 20 years old this means only one thing it's the year of my golden birthday. My goal for my 20th birthday was to be in a country I had never been to before and party. On my 20th birthday that is on July 20th I will be in Barcelona. From Barcelona we hit Poland ,Budapest and then Amsterdam. These are all places Lucas and I have wanted to go to and now we're finally getting the chance. I am looking forward to getting time away from my duties back in Cologne and focusing on the world around me.



xo

I can speak German!

After three very difficult months my German class is finally coming to end. If you're wondering what I learned well don't because I couldn't tell you. I am sure I am the only person who comes out of a three month class not even knowing what happened. Okay, I am not that stupid. I know how to say Hello which is Hallo and I also can tell you I don't speak German ... Ich spreche kein Deutsch. I say this sentence at least once a day. My favourite German word I have learned is egal which means whatever. I do see an improvement from when I first started the class to now. I can do my homework by myself and I can understand the boys more which is making things a lot more fun. With more time and effort hopefully I will keep seeing more improvements. 

I would also just like to point out to my family that we are in the month of July which means mine and Papa's BIRTHDAY is coming. For an address to send me presents please e - mail me .... I am only kidding. I just hope it is marked on your calendar if you forget it's July 20th. 

xo