The girls are still getting to know me and every day is a bit of an adventure with them. Not only learning who they are and becoming comfortable with each other but also working around the language. This is always fun. Of course with the parents I can speak English if I need to but the girls only speak German, naturally. This has really already been a great way for me to learn. Even the younger of the two, Lili, she is only 2ish but is talking lots and lots, and with both girls I can ask 'Was ist das?' and they will tell me. So far I have been learning lots of animal vocabulary. Its great. Also, the older girl, Lara, is very good at correcting me if I am saying something incorrect. It is pretty funny sometimes but good for me. She really likes it when I aske for help with my pronounciation or vocabulary. Especially in the evening we read from a children's book and she is always saying 'nein Kaija!!' and then filling in the blank. Thankfully she doesn't get too frustrated with me. Also I'm finding that I am able to put together so many more variations of sentences already with just the little bit of German that I know. Sehr gut!!
So things are going well in the family. In a couple weeks my schedule will include a language course which will take up most of the morning. I think it is from 8 to 1, five days a week. And my work in the house is mainly from 5 in the evening until 8 and then on the weekends. So for now my days are mostly relaxed and unscheduled. The mother and youngest daughter are home during the day, and there are usually playmates and mothers coming over, or we go into the city for a bit of shopping or something like this. But it is very relaxed. In the evenings it has been busy around here lately (I'm told it isn't always like this) with the parents going out or having friends over. This means that I have already had responsibilities with the children on my own. No problem of course. And I hear a lot of positive feedback from the parents, Sabine and Stephan, and how grateful that I can be here with the children and they don't need to worry, they are very confident in me. I'm feeling very appreciated. :)
Here's a bit more of what I have been up to since I arrived...
(with pictures coming soon. promise.)
- Registered with the local authorities. You have to do this if you are going to be living here for some time.
- Spent some time in the mornings unpacking and arranging my room, going with Lili and Sabine into the city for a bit of shopping.
- Lots of construction happening on my little flat at the top of the house. I have my room of course and the bathroom is, as of today, mostly finished. In the last week they have been putting the tiles in and the toilet and sink and shower etc. It is really, really nice. Then there is another room down the hall from my room and we will get a small sofa and a television in there for me and then sometime in the near future a small kitchen area. Really nice!
- I went with Stefan to BW Bank and set up an account for me. Sorry Nils, not the Deutesche Bank but BW, which is a big one for this area.
- Esther came over last Friday for dinner and then we went out on the town. This was a lot of fun and I met some of her friends which was great. We went to some huge warehouse where we listened to Balkan music(?). It was fun. Not what I'm used to, but aparently it is popular because it was packed with people. VERY interesting for people watching. I've already discussed with Esther and Sabine how different the guys here are from American, especially PNW guys. Very interesting.
- On Saturday morning I went into the city with Stephan. Every Saturday they have multiple markets in the city. Local farmers as well as people selling their own goods, not a lot of arts or made things but lots of antiques. I love this. I have to practice my barganing skills though because I guess that is what you are supposed to do.
- Later on Saturday we went to the Volksfest here in Stuttgart. This is a kind of harvest festival I think and it will last for the next 2 weeks now, 3 weeks total. There are rides, lots of rides and also lots of beer tents, natually. And these tents, when we were there in the afternoon, were already full of people! Stephan said that the tents will just continue to fill until people could only stand and everywhere. My main job at this festival was to ride the rides with Lara. She really loves this, and it was a lot of fun to share that with her. Whew though, some of those rides.....oh man! This festival was also great for people watching. Lots of people wearing Lederhosen and Dirndls. Older men squeezing into theirs from earlier years, while the younger guys strut their stuff and the girls are wearing something maybe a bit shorter and more revealing than originally intended.
- Sundays here in Germany mean that all the shops and markets are closed, and certain unwritten social rules such as not mowing your lawn because of the noise, make Sunday a quiet, relaxed day. It is a day when most people it seems, take the time to spend with families, go to church, and enjoy a walk or other entertainment outdoors. This is great. We are spending mostly both our Saturdays and Sunday this way but it is great to see so many people out on Sunday and expecially the families. And Sabine and Stephan have a very long and growing list of places they want to take me and things for us to do on these weekend trips. I'm so lucky!
Bis Bald
K.
