The Game Plan

So, with just three weeks of school left(!!!) here's next year's plan.........Germany. Surprised? Me too. I told some of you before I left that if I liked it here, I might think about staying for another year. I never thought that instead I would be making plans for living in Germany, but I am actually VERY excited about this new plan (I have a lot of work to do on my language skills though).

The plan does include more than JUST living in Germany. Don't worry, I will be working. I have made a connection through my friend Esther, with a family who is wanting someone to live with them and help care for their two daughters. Their oldest daughter has autism and while they have thought before about hosting someone as an Au Pair, they didn't think that they would find someone with experience working with autistic children. Enter me!!

As I said they have two daughters. They are living in Stuttgart and they sound really nice. We've written several emails and have spoken on the phone. They really sound great and I can't tell you how excited I am. I hope that you will all be excited for me as well. Don't worry though because the plan does also include a couple months at home before going to Germany and I have already told them that I want to be able to travel home at Christmas time.

The details:
-School is over on the 3rd of July
-Fly to Germany on 6th of July to meet family
-Spend a few days in Stuttgart with family and then fly from Frankfurt to Seattle
-In Seattle for July, August, and most of September
-Fly to Germany sometime in the end of September

I'm looking so forward to seeing everyone at home soon!! And I'll have much more to share with you about my plans for next year.

Lots of love,
Kaija

Camping Week I

Tomorrow morning I will be going with my class to Killin for camping week. This is something that each of the classes will do this term. I say that this is Camping Week I because I'll also be going with another class two weeks from now. I'm not sure yet if that makes me lucky or not.

So this week we will be doing it all. Everything from hiking, cycling, canoeing and river walking, to of course sleeping in tents, bbqing, and sitting around the campfire. It should be a lot of fun and I'm sure it will be a great experience to make with the children. It will be a different way of working with them so I look forward to that.

Well, I still have some packing and organizing to do before I'm ready so I'll have to leave you there until I return with photos.

Pray for sunshine a blue skies please!! Or at least not rain.
I wish you all great week!!

Saturday

Woke up at half 10. Stefan made me a nice breakfast including pancakes (even with strawberries!) eggs, baked beans, muffins, toast, donuts and fruit salad. Everything really. So nice.

After breakfast we drove to Loch Leven. Of course as soon as we arrived it began to rain. Thank you Scotland. Between the rain and the spray on our boat ride on the loch we were all drenched.

Looking out on Loch Leven. Check out those gray skies.

Boarding the taxi........for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
Actually it was only a 30min ride to the castle on the island.

So the guys boarded first as you can see, and they took the last few seats under the shelter on the boat. David and Esther and I were left to sit exposed to all the spray coming over the bow of the boat. Oh man. By the time we reached the other shore I was soaked through and I thought it couldn't get worse but......

David messing around, Esther is not amused.

Much nicer.

Having some issues keeping my hair out of my face.

Trying to take a nice photo, too bad Simeon is in it.

The captain of our gallant, gallant ship.

Looking out from the castle.
Fact: Mary Queen of Scots was held captive in this castle before she was beheaded.

Oh no, trouble. Good thing he wasn't steering for much more than the time it took to take this photo.

......on our way back Esther and I managed to elbow our way into the sheltered area on the boat. Of course at that point it began raining again and it all came at an angle, soaking us more that on our way to the island. It was really un-believable.

But its good to have an adventure now and then.