Where is the line?

My life is pretty amazing. I am not going to lie. I have plenty of free time to read, learn a language, take naps, and meet up with friends. I also am able to travel at the drop of a hat! It it also filled with ridiculous stories, funny moments, and silly tasks.

The other day G was laughing about something while we did some homework (Got to make it fun or they WHINE too much!)

Anyway, she was laughing pretty hard and then through her intense giggling she starts to laught harder while saying "I'm peeing."  She is 6 so I was a bit confused and said "What?"  She continued to laugh (and apparently pee) and said "Look on the floor."  She was indeed peeing. Peeing a lot. She peed for a long time as I sat baffled, annoyed, and a little amused.  She stopped peeing all of the the kitchen floor.  I sent her to change for ballet and then proceeded to clean up her pee. That is right CLEAN UP HER PEE!!!

P, who is 9 mind you, was pooing with the door open a couple of weeks ago... already inappropriate. Anyway, he was getting off the toilet or something of the sort and a fly away piece ended up on the floor... EWWWWWWW

WHAT! I am picking feces off the ground? He has also had a 2 other issues with actually pooing in his pants!??!?! NINE YEARS OLD! To think, I thought I would be changing the baby's diapers...but apparently the older two haven't learned to control their bladder and bowel movements quite yet.

Between playing restaurant, ironing, doing homework, cooking (for real), and attempting to keep P from sticking something in trumpet for the third time (NINE YEARS OLD!!!), I also find time to make friends, watch too much TV online, learn French (post to come about that!), and travel!   Where is the line that goes too far to make this worth it all? Apparently it is not at feces... hmmmmmmm

Baby Watch 2010: Mama C has been having fake contractions for about 24 hours on and off now. So the wait continues...

Baby Watch 2010

So as many of you know, my host family expecting a new one. The little girl was dubbed Baby Gaga by the previous aupair! So she is due 10/10/10, which I think is an awesome birthday! Totally waiting out until your due date for!

Mama C has had her previous two kiddies several weeks prior to her due date which means we have started the waiting game. This week Papa B went into high alert! On my train ride home from Munich on Sunday night I got a phone call and I thought it was game time. It wasn't.  Papa Bruce just had a "feeling."  Whatever that means.

So each day Papa B has been concerned with my whereabouts most of the time. He makes me nervous so I have become someone who has my phone on extra loud whenever I am out and in my hand.

Monday night I thought it might happen. C was on the phone with the hospital (which is apparently a challenge because she doesn't speak much German so can have trouble finding a good person to talk to if her doctor isn't in). It didn't happen.

Tuesday Papa B told G that if he isn't home in the morning it is because her parents are at the hospital with her new sister.

Wednesday, Papa B brought Mama C's hospital bag down to the car before they left for work. Mama C didn't seem concerned and didn't understand why he was doing it. He did it anyway.

Mama C is ready to go. She wants Baby Gaga out and Papa B must be freaking out internally and it shows in pieces each day! So who know when we will reach the day of birth but I am hoping we can wait until 10/10/10!

Oktoberfest 2010 - 200 Years

Friday afternoon I headed off to Munich for Oktoberfest. I was meeting my friend Maggie from Chapman. We were about to embark on an epic weekend! We were found a host on Couch Surfers.  This is an awesome concept where you can travel all over the world and stay with people who live where you are visiting.  Often times they will show you around the city and you get to learn more about the city than if you were to just go to the tourist attractions.  They allow you to stay with them for free! It is amazing concept!

Maggie and I were lucky to find someone to host us for the weekend. I arrived far before she did. I met our host. He showed me to a discount grocery store.  It was unique because it was a discount store and they didn't have fancy displays.  These two men, who expanded their mother's grocery store into this business, are now among the richest in Germany. This was the highlight of my Friday night. It also included working on a puzzle, explaining the American political system (which of course I enjoyed!), and making a wonderful salad.  My favorite point of the night was when he looked at me, completely serious, and asked me if I liked beer...

Ummm.. I looked at him baffled for a moment...I had traveled to Munich to go to Oktoberfest..a festival all about beer.. when I realized he was completely serious I said, yes I do.

All joke aside our host and his girlfriend were extremely generous and really nice people! It was great to spend the weekend with us and have them show us around Munich on Sunday. So a big thanks to them for their generosity and for saving us a BUNCH of money!

Our hosts for the weekend

Saturday we got up and headed to Oktoberfest. We met up with the Couch Surfers group and headed to a small beer tent/house that had cheaper food and beer. The festivities began! At noon the mayor tapped the first keg and the 200th Oktoberfest officially began.  A few gun shots into the air and we were off and running! 

The gun shots kicking off Oktoberfest 2010!

I was so impressed with the entire thing! People were dressed up in tradition garb! It was awesome. There were rides, food, beer, and music everywhere. I had a blast meeting a bunch of new people from all of the world. We went on one of the rides. It was pretty epic! You can see pictures of it in the picasa album if you are interested (below)! The rides were a million times better than any fair I'd ever been to in the states. 

People were in traditional clothes all over the place! I missed the memo but next time I will be prepared! 

I saw a man in a Padres hat and of course made friends with him. And by make friends I mean talked to for a minute and got a picture with him. There were some awesome Italians we hung out with for awhile as well.  I loved meeting up with the Couch Surfers and I would highly recommend that for anyone who is traveling to a major event. I had a great Couch Surfing experience with the help of the Danish, Tanzanians, Americans, Indians, Iranians, Germans, and Japanese (among others I am sure)!

We were able to get into a tent after waiting in line for quite some time. We gave up on the line. Walked for 3 minutes and walked right in through a different door! People were dancing on their chairs and singing along to the live music.

Sunday our hosts made us a tradition white sausage breakfast with pretzels.  Then we hit the city for a walking tour. City Hall, the Justice Department, Parliament, and a million stairs to the top of a church! I think I saw about 7 million churches all around the city. 

I had a great time and was sooooo happy that Maggie and I could meet up! Thanks to Maggie for an awesome weekend and I cannot wait to travel together again! 

Here are some more pictures from my trip to Munich. There are more pictures of the city and some great views from the top of the church that we went to on Sunday! 

Also, here is an AMAZING video courtesy of Dan! I just couldn't help sharing a laugh with everyone!

Great Source for Music!

I have a lot of free time. I read a lot. I listen to music.  I am not the person who can come up with an epic playlist like many of my friends. Fortunately, Stereo Mood has solved this problem for me! I tell it my mood and it gives me fantastic songs! I had used it occasionally in the US but since Pandora doesn't work in Europe it has become my music website of choice...I must also add that it is a million times better than pandora..in my opinion =)

Just thought I would share one of my newest past times!

Lake Como

As many of you know, my travel record is far from clean.  I am perpetually early for everything so my mistakes do not come from being late. I have shown up at the wrong airport and I have sat in the terminal and somehow missed it when they boarded my plane of 250 people (I was 18 when this happened..maybe I can use that as my justification...)

Anyway, my first trip to Italy started off a little rocky. It was pretty much a straight train ride there. I was prepared to get off the train and had found my stop.  (Note: Switzerland tells you what every stop is before you reach it so you can prepare to get off.)  Once we crossed the border, there were no more announcements.  You are on your own.  I was traveling at night and many of the stations are not lit well and you don't know what station you are at.  I was very prepared though. I knew what I was looking for. I knew what time I was supposed to arrive at my station.  Due to previous issues in traveling, I shut off my iPod and stopped reading about 20 minutes before I was to arrive in Como.  I figured I needed to pay extremely close attention to where I was to ensure I didn't miss my stop.

I knew Como was coming. I got up to stand by the door. The train station is called San Giovanni when you buy your tickets but the name written on the sign in the stop is Como.  This confused me for a moment but I reassured by a man that this was the right stop. I pressed the button to open the door of the train, as they do not open automatically at every stop.  It makes the normal air sucking sound that the train doors make before they are supposed to open. I don't think about it. When I realize it is has still not opened a few seconds later I run to the closest door in a panic.  I get there press that button, but we are moving. I am freaking out at the point. I was so ready to get off! I was excited to be there. See my Aunt and begin my wonderful weekend. Instead, I walk back to my seat.  The Italian men that I had been sitting across from look slightly confused.

I ask them what the next stop is. They tell me it is Milan. I am freaking out for so many reasons:

1. I don't actually have a ticket to go to Milan. If they come to check my ticket I am going to get a fine for being on the train.
2. I need to call my aunt and my phone isn't letting me make the call.
3. The 45 minute train ride to Milan seems like it is taking hours.
4. It is late at night (I was supposed to arrive in Como at 10:14pm).  I am not sure if there is going to be a train that will get me back to Como that night.
5. No one is able to help me because I do not speak Italian =( and no one seems to speak English.

I arrive in Milan (finally!) and I asked the men sitting across from me if I would be able to get to Como tonight. They tried to help but I just stared in confusion at them...I do not speak Italian. We found someone to who could sort of translate.  I am told that I need to take the subway to the other train station and take a regional train to Como.  No one knows if there will be another train tonight....

I want to cry...

I do not cry and try not to look stressed because I am clearly a tourist and that makes you a target for people to take advantage.

I wander around the train station (which is gorgeous) and try to calm down while looking for a pay phone. Pay phones are everywhere in Switzerland. They are no where in Milan.  Nothing is open because it is 11pm on a Friday night.  There are plenty of people around but no one is wearing the employee jacket I was told to look for.  I found a kiosk and luckily there was a ticket to get to Como leave at 12:38am.  I had an hour and half to kill and then another 45 minute train ride before I would arrive in Como. At least I will get there tonight. I can do this. I will be fine.

I asked a man standing next to the kiosk if he knew where a pay phone was.  He was kind enough to let me call the hotel. I quickly told my Aunt that my train door didn't open and that I would be arriving in Como at 1:30 or so.  I got off the phone. I thanked the man for being so generous. He was from Ghana and lived in Milan now. We talked about US Politics for an hour. He thinks Michelle Obama is a phenomenal woman, the Koran burning pastor is crazy, and that Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton should be defended because they were tempted and it is hard to resist temptation. I wholeheartedly disagreed. He said I didn't understand temptation.  He went to catch his train.

I then went back inside the station and took a few more pictures (below).  The Italians are nowhere near as efficient or organized as the Swiss.  My train was supposed to be leaving in 15 minutes and there was still no platform listed.  I finally found a man with the employee jacket on and asked him.  I noticed that my ticket says that I am going to San Giovanni (Como) via another city. I ask him if I need to switch trains. My question is lost in translation and I get a little worried again. I cannot mess this one up!

We get through it and I get the information I need from him, well except for what platform I should be on.  A man is standing next to me at the screen. We are waiting diligently for the number to show up.  We finally learn it is platform three.  (At this point I have found that the train employee and my Dad and maybe an Uncle or two are the only people I know who say three with their pinky, ring finger, and middle finger...I assume this is an Italian thing..)

We get on the train. He is traveling for business. He is from Bombay and he works in plastics. He is very nice. He tells be more about where I should travel to and places I should skip in Europe.

Finally at 2am I make to the hotel. Auntie Francie is there to greet me! We stayed up late chatting and I woke up to a gorgeous panoramic view of the entire lake.  It is breathtaking.  There isn't a cloud in the sky.  I made it! Now it was time to enjoy the weekend.

It was a great weekend! We had great conversation about life, family, etc.  We ate some great food, drank great wine, and I ate the best gelato I have ever had! It was a stunning place to spend the a weekend.  We had a blast the entire time! Late nights and early mornings left us both exhausted by Sunday! It was a perfect weekend.

Como is very small. It is a quaint city where you can walk around, hang out on the lake, eat, and really just relax.  It wasn't too crowded.  We didn't run in to George Cluney.  The people were nice! The town was precious.  It was million times cheaper than Switzerland!

I planned to be at the train station extremely early.  I got in to Como (we were staying in Cernobbio which was a 10 minute boat ride from Como). I got there early enough to get another gelato and make it to the station with plenty of time to spare.  I got back "home" (not sure if I am ready to use that word quite yet) where my perfect dress weather had turned into pouring rain!

So my adventures have really begun! Being in Italy made me ready to back! I am so excited to continue to plan trips. I love that I spent my weekend in Italy and will be in Germany next weekend. I am excited to plan my 2 weeks of backpacking around Christmas/New Year's Eve.  I am ready to start exploring. I am ready to be out of my comfort zone and figure things out in new places when I haven't a clue. I love to meet new people and hear their stories! This is my life and I am loving it!

You can click on the album if you want to see bigger versions of the pictures! Again, Google is amazing! 

Day Trip One: Sierre Wine tasting

Last Saturday was a big day! I went on my first day trip in Switzerland. A group of six of us headed out to Sierre, Switzerland which is the French region of the country. We attended the Vinea Wine Festival.  There were about 20 tents with four different vineyards represented at each.  We got a glass at the beginning of the day and wandered around to try as many of the 1,200 wines as possible! It was the perfect day to spend walking around outside.

I have wanted to go wine tasting for a long time now. I like wine, but don't know much about what I like.  The wines were very specific to the region we were in.  Switzerland is not known for its wine because only about 1% of it get exported. It is also difficult to find any of the wines outside of the region it is made it.  There were many really good wines and I definitely found a few favorites (Sherpas are amazing!).  It was great to finally have the opportunity to go wine tasting.  I learned more about what kind of wine I liked. I still cannot describe why I like a wine but I am getting somewhere! 

Rachel, Krystal, Kasja, Kristina, Jason, and me 

You will notice the lanyards around our necks. They are wineglass holders..that is right... Wineglass necklaces! 

What wine should we choose?..hmm... one of each please!

Fountains are always fun!

We ended our day with TWO delicious pizzas. It was a perfect way to end the day!

We walked around Sierre, which isn't very big, but had some amazing views! 

My new aupair friends!

The trip was definitely a success! I have a goal of going to one new city/place in Switzerland and a city city in a different country.  Considering that I live with in a 3 hour train ride to 4 countries this should be difficult to accomplish. September is a success! Sierre: check. I will be in Italy by the end of the day and Munich for next weekend! My life is...dare I say...completely and totally awesome!

As for some family updates: We had baby talk planning this week. While Mama C is due on October 10th she has a history of going into labor early..several weeks early.  So we are expecting her to pop at any moment. There are several plans which means I am pretty much on call to take over the other kids. I really want to be there to help so I am hoping that she doesn't go into labor while I am on any of my weekend trips the next two weeks. There is a chance I will be driving her to the hospital, if it is just the two of us at home. That one freaks me out the most. I don't think I am quite ready to have my first experience with a woman in labor, but I guess it just might be that time!

G is extremely excited for her little sister to come! She loves helping her parents prepare for the baby. One of her babies sleeps in the newly set up crib.  G told P not to make a lot of noise one afternoon because she was sleeping. P, of course, did make a lot of noise and G went to Mama C and said "Do you know what P did? He woke up my baby! Even after I told him not to make a lot of noise!"  

Another fun story: We were at the pool and P had swimming lessons. G and I were hanging out and another Dad said hello to her and asked her how many brothers and sisters she had.  G said "I have one brother and one sister."  This totally caught me off guard because as of now she just has a brother.  It was super adorable!

On the other hand there is P, who couldn't be more indifferent to having a new sister. He really wishes it was going to be a boy.  He goes on a week long trip with his class the week after next, which means that he will probably come home to a new sister in the house. Mama C asked him if he would want to come home early if she has the baby and he said "no."  No more, no less, just "no."  In his mind, this new person in his family will be around for many years to come and missing out on being with your classmates for a week doing fun things is just not worth giving up! 

Anyway, things are really falling into place. I am enjoying it for the most part! Kids are ridiculous and dramatic all of the time. Yesterday, we fought over a paper clip and when G said it was her P asked for proof. It was a paper clip.  So for that I say congrats to all the parents out there who raised us all. I don't know how you did it because the kiddies are a lot of work that never ends...I have the daily thought: is it worth it? Now, go brush your teeth! 

One Month?!?!...Already???

Around the time that I bought my one-way ticket to move to Switzerland and started to realize how hard it was going to be to leave D.C. I had a mini-freak out. A few people received e-mails during work that day. They all responded saying that it would be nothing but a blip in my life.  Meredith said that I might miss a few birthdays or Christmas but it will be worth it for the experience and everyone will be there when I get back.  My month in California reassured me of all of this. Time doesn't stop but why would you want it to?

So one month after moving to Switzerland, I can't help but think about the wonderful support I had from all of my family members and friends in taking this risk! It has been a month! Eleven months from now I will be returning to the U.S. (or so my Mom and Dad are hoping and praying).

It also makes me think to my first month in DC. After a month in D.C., I had finally found my apartment for the year (and two amazing roommates who became great friends), and a part-time job, but that is about it.  I had Craig, but that's about it. I hadn't met most of the people I consider amazing friends now! I didn't have a job. I was sure I was in the right place but was hitting many dead-ends and meeting people was a whole different challenge.

Switzerland has been a million times easier.  First, I haven't been dealing with leaving Chapman and college life, which wasn't easy.  Secondly, I had spent hours upon hours looking for somewhere to live. Thirdly, I was, for the first time, in a place where everyone around me wasn't looking for friends.  There was a lot to adapt to! While I am not saying this has been and will be a cake walk all year long, having people around me who understand it all makes it a million times easier! It is so funny to me because I have met a few aupairs who just got here or got here right after I did, and I am already in the midst of making sure they get to meetings and showing them where to go, etc.  It is really amazing how quickly things change!

I had a job and home when I arrived. I had phone numbers of people to call and a meeting to go to where people were looking for friends! I have a ton of free time so I have time to work out, talk to people from home all of the time, and still work and have a social life.  I have already made some friends who I really enjoy. I was able to go on a day trip to Sierre, in the French section of Switzerland to go wine tasting (pictures to hopefully come soon!).  I am going to meet up with my Auntie Francie in Lake Como, Italy this weekend and next weekend I meeting Maggie (a friend from Chapman) to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. So if I had to leave in one month, it would be worth the experience.  Luckily, I have 11 more months to come of new experiences, struggles, travels, and friends!

I apologize for rambling for so long, but since you have made it to the end, here are some videos of P & G dancing with an addition friend involved! This is my job and as much as I hate telling them to brush their teeth 17 times, I do love having dance parties and watching them sing to pop songs.

Note: The song is California Gurls by Katy Perry. It was not chosen by me but P thinks it is the coolest thing ever that I am actually a California Girl! I am not going to lie, I think it is pretty awesome as well!

My friend Emily just moved to Ireland and left this quote as her Facebook Status, I liked it so I will leave you with it! 

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends. -Maya Angelou

Playing Games

I just sent the kiddies off on the bus. I am starting my third week on the job (fourth in Switzerland).  My alarm goes off at 7:02am and I immediately think "What is for snack time?"  I then precede to go through everything in the house until I decide what will be perfect for the day. Today it was rice cakes with peanut butter, juice, a prune, and a Pom Pom (which is a fruit puree or something like that).

It was a rough morning. G didn't want to get out of bed because she didn't sleep very well and P was especially against listening to anything I say.  G just needs a little encouragement, maybe being picked up, or some dancing and she will slowly perk up. P is a challenge. He saw that G didn't want to get out of bed so he started whining.  I refuse to indulge him when he is acting half his age.  So my attitude towards being fun and entertaining to get him out of bed quickly turns to get, "ok P, that is enough..."

My friend told me last night that I am such a "mother" already.  I know that what I do isn't close to what it is like to have a child attached to you for the rest of your life, but I do see where it becomes so easy to be a nag.  When you have to ask someone to do something an average of 4 times before they listen, there is no choice but to nag until it gets done.

On the other hand, kids are pretty easy. I can read to them for hours or just put a book on tape on and they are entertained.  On Friday, I played school with G for a little while. It was adorable how much we went through what she does during the day at school.  We went through the bus list, had recess, and learned some vital math and writing skills.  I remember I loved to play school when I was younger. I would get Stephen and whoever else was there to listen to me while I made them do workbooks and not talk while I was talking. G loved it! I got in trouble for talking all the time on Friday! I can completely see G getting told that she needs to stop talking after recess or when switching subjects during the day.

P is a little more challenging but we have found a love of Yahtzy (as it is spelled in German) He loves to read.  It is great that a reward after doing him homework is doing more reading. Very odd, but impressive!

These things called Silly Bandz are the "cool" things at school.  They are basically rubber bands that you can wear as a bracelet and they have different shapes (dinosaurs, instruments, animals, balloons, etc.).  No matter how much you bunch it up or try to change the shape, the original shape always comes back. Mama C and I don't really understand it but apparently you can make rubber bands super cool! The moral of the story is that we should think of something extremely simple and then sell it to children so we can all retire!

I am getting to know the kiddies better everyday. They are also getting to know me and where my line is.  I try to make everything into a competition or a game.  P will play sometimes but also is starting to understand what I am trying to do.  G will do anything if I count to see how long it will take her. This is definitely the best thing in the world!

I am also getting used to living with the family. I am not home as much which makes it easier when I am home. Eating with the family makes it a lot easier to get to know them and it makes it less odd during the rest of the time.  Tonight we are going to sit down and talk about life after the baby is born which will be nice to know how my schedule will change.

Absolutely Breathtaking

I was walking home from my bus stop after a lovely day in Zurich (more on that at the bottom) when I literally just stopped walking. I looked up and between the grocery store and some houses was a breathtaking view of the mountains.  I have had a few clear days but today was incomparable to any of those. 

I was heading back to take a quick nap before picking the kiddies up from school. Instead, I made it my mission to get pictures.  I drove down the lake and just sat there for a few minutes. I cannot believe how incredibly gorgeous this place is. I am constantly in awe of the landscape! Below are a few pictures I took and the link the whole album.  I want to emphasize how incredible close the mountains looked from other angles while I was driving and how much these few pictures to not give justice to how beautiful it is in real life! If that can't get you to come visit, I don't know what will! =) (hint. hint.)

If you Click this Picture it will take you the whole album!

I have had a lovely week so far.  My trips around Europe and Switzerland are beginning to be planned. The kids and I are managing to be on some sore of schedule.  This is only because I ask them to do things about 20 times and about 20 minutes before they need to be done.  For instance the bus comes at 8:20am.  We are ready by 8:10am pretty much everyday because at 8am I panic and my freakish need to be punctual kicks in. Anyway, I am getting better with the family and trying to integrate as much as possible when I am around. At the same time it is nice to shut myself in my room and have time to chat, send emails, etc.

I have met a few new aupairs that I really like. It is nice that the new ones are coming in. There are quite a few that are a bit younger than me. I am now friends with someone who was born in 1992! I cannot imagine moving to another country at that age. Most of them are coming from within Europe so home isn't too far, but nonetheless, it is impressive.

I have really enjoyed Skyping, Gmail chatting, video chatting, etc. with everyone that I have been able to! I would love to set up a time to chat with you..yes you! It is a little difficult at times but I am willing to wake up at crazy hours to accommodate you (well those of you I really like).  I was thinking about doing this 10 years ago or so and I don't think I could do it. I would have been so much more isolated from everyone I know and love. I know that it would be impossible for me.  So with technology comes new doors and opportunities to move away from your family yet still be able to talk like we are sitting in the same room (not as good but it can work for a year!).

Note: I have made some changes to my blog. I am now trying to label entries. I have also attached my Picasa account to my blog. So on the right side you can click on the thumbnails and it should send you to my albums to check out! Again, I love google! Sharing my life with the world is becoming a million times easier! And as my Mom said, google know EVERYTHING I am doing but I think I can support that!