50 Shades of Green (Not Grey) or Hello! Ireland

For the past two weeks I've been a free bird, quite literally. I've flown around Europe, becoming very comfortable with international airports in the process (and yes I am patting myself on the back as we speak), and this last week I was fortunate enough to spend with a group of pretty awesome people who have already made my time in Munich so memorable. Things are looking good!

So, Ireland and Amsterdam.

Let me just begin this chronologically, with Ireland, and tell you that Johnny Cash was not exaggerating: there really are forty shades of green, and every last one of them is absolutely beautiful. When you're in a country that just throws this sort of morning at you:

...you know you're somewhere really special. 

And it has to be said, it wasn't just the scenery that made this country so beautiful. The people of Ireland were a huge part of what made our time there so enjoyable. I could tell you so many different stories, and all of them are really great, but I'm going to particularly mention one person whose name I never even learned, but who remains one of the most memorable parts of my trip. 

When I arrived at the airport in Dublin I quickly made my way to the bus stop outside of the terminal. I had to take the AirCoach bus into the city to the central train station, and then take a three-hour train ride to the the little town of Collooney, Ireland to meet up with my best friend and her family. I was nervous: public transportation can be a little intimidating, and I wasn't quite sure how to get from the bus stop to the train station. I only had about an hour to make my connection, and I was crossing my fingers that I wasn't going to end up on the wrong train, bound for some far corner of the country. Lucky for me, someone was watching over me, and while I was waiting in line for the bus the man standing behind me struck up a conversation. Now before you get too excited, he was a very old man, in his early eighties I believe, and one of the nicest people I've ever met. He just happened to be traveling the same direction as me, on the same train, and not only did he show me how to get to the train station, he also helped me buy my ticket and find the right train. Throughout the whole bus and train ride we didn't stop talking once: he told me all about his family and his children and his life in Ireland. We talked about musicals and the opera and traveling and when the trolley came through the cabin he bought me a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate, refusing to let me pay for it. When we arrived at his stop I was truly sorry to see him leave. He wished me the best of luck on my trip , in Gaelic and in English, told me how glad he was to have met me, and then was on his way.

It may not seem like much, but his kindness meant the world to me, and best portrays the type of people I was lucky enough to meet. So to the old man at the bus stop: thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Quite honestly, as I was sitting on that train with the countryside of Ireland rolling past me, it felt as if the sun was shining especially bright, just for me. I'd checked the weather report before I left Munich and it had called for rain, but I didn't see one glimpse of it during that train ride. I saw rolling hills enclosed within stone walls and little flowers sprouting up all along the train tracks. I saw the way the light reflected off the lakes we passed by and how it lit up the trees and the fields. It was incredible and much more enjoyable then        flying ever has been. 

I wouldn't mind traveling all over Europe that way.

But the best part about my train ride is who was waiting for me at the train station in Collooney. 

It was so surreal, seeing my best friend standing there, knowing that we were in Ireland together and that I was going to be able to spend the whole week with her. We got to experience so much together: her family reunion was ridiculously fun. There was a lot of beer and food, and people from all over the world had gathered to celebrate their common heritage. There were ethnic dancers with massive straw hats on their heads and girls who could dance the Irish Jig.

 

The party went on until four in the morning and only ended because the DJ eventually decided to pack up his equipment. (Dear California, putting a time limit on people's fun is lame. You should become more European and let us party all night long if we so wish.)

After our stay in Collooney we drove to Belfast and stayed for three nights. We took a black-taxi tour of the city, learning about the history of Ireland and seeing all of the effects of "The Troubles," which technically ended in 1998 with the Good Friday agreement, but remnants of the conflict can still be seen today. There is a massive wall that separates the Protestant living section from the Catholic quarters, and every night at 6PM the gates are locked in an attempt to contain the sporadic acts of violence that still occur. When we were on our taxi tour a group of boys threw rocks at the taxi, asking our driver in Irish slang if he was a Catholic or a Protestant. The oldest one looked about ten years old. 

We were also able to visit the Titanic museum and visit the shipyard where the unsinkable ship was built in Belfast. I've always been interested in the Titanic so I was particularly excited about visiting Belfast and I wasn't disappointed by the museum. I think the most poignant part of the tour for me was seeing the transcripts up on a wall of the messages being sent out by the ships communications master in those last few hours before the ship went down, or hearing the stories of the survivors play out over the speakers. There was a quote that particularly struck me: "As the smart ship grew in stature, grace, and hue, in shadowy silence grew the iceberg too." 

Paved over slipway where the Titanic was built.

We ended our tour of Ireland in Dublin, which I must say did not quite live up to my expectations, or compare in any way to the countryside. We were able to take a tour of the Guinness Factory though (free beer!!), and Theresa and I were lucky enough to be shown Dublin nightlife by the amazing Martie, the Irish cousin of our friend Megan. 

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...I finally found a Claddagh ring, which I've been looking to buy for a long time. It's shiny and silver and awesome, and I'm very excited about it, if you can't already tell. 

So I can't say that Dublin wasn't enjoyable, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other places we had visited. Did I mention we stayed at a castle in Collooney? Honestly, how is Dublin supposed to beat that? It was doomed from the start.  

So this is where I end this blog post: part one of my vacation. Part two will be out in a day or two and will be all about Amsterdam and my last week in Munich. I thought I would be able to put it all in one post, but I just can't sit at my computer any longer. The sun is out and shining, which I'm told I need to revel in and enjoy before the winter rolls in, so I'm going out to explore this beautiful city. I may even get some Gelato, which I can't believe I lived without for the first twenty-two years of my life. 

Sorry Dreyer's but you're not looking so cool right about now. 

But before I officially go I need to thank Theresa's parents for their generosity, and for allowing me to join them on their vacation. I've always been made to feel like a part of your family, and having you all in my life is like an added bonus on top of an already amazing best friend. Thanks for making me feel like your honorary daughter, and for helping cure my little bought of homesickness.

Theresa Rose, you're awesome. And I promise to not take it back :)

XO 

The American Au-Pair in Germany (who officially resumes her duties on Monday).

 

 

Hier ist auf das Wochenende!

Translation: Here's to the weekend.

I'll drink to that! And trust me when I tell you that in Munich they most definitely do.

I've made it through my first real weekend in Germany! (Last Saturday my plane didn't get in until late afternoon and my jet lag assured that I was about as alert as a hibernating bear, so I don't think it counts.) And what a weekend it was.

Friday night I sat up with my host parents to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony in London, which I must say was not nearly impressive as the one in Beijing. I almost made it through the entire program, forcing myself to stay awake through the ridiculously boring presentation of all the countries, but I eventually passed out during one of the speeches at the end. It was pretty interesting watching the ceremony from the German's perspective. I couldn't understand most of what the presenters were talking about, but I picked up pieces here and there. That's pretty much the story of my life right now: I hear all of this noise going on around me, and I'm able to recognize the words being said, but I can't process them fast enough to really understand what is being talked about. Pretty frustrating, but I can already say that my German has improved just by being here one week. I'm a chicken when it comes to speaking the language myself, but my comprehension gets better and better every day.

P.S. While I'm here in Germany I'm rooting for Deutschland and for the United States of America, which is what the Olympics are all about :).

P.P.S. Ryan Lochte: I don't mind you replacing Michael Phelps as this years swimming sensation one bit.

I thought that, because I was up so late on Friday night, I would be pretty tired Saturday morning, but more then anything I was just excited for the day to begin. I got up fairly early but didn't actually leave the house until eleven or so. I'm pretty comfortable with the neighborhood I live in, which is really pretty and very picturesque (pictures soon I promise), so I didn't have any trouble walking to the bus stop and catching the right bus to the U-Bahn station. The only problem was that, once you're on the bus, you have to know the stop you want to get off on, because the buses in Germany only stop if you've pressed a button letting the driver know you want to get off at the next station. Sounds pretty simple, but for some reason they weren't announcing the impending stops, nor were they showing them on the screens up above the seats, so I was anxiously sitting there, hoping that I wasn't going to be stuck riding the bus around Munich all day long. Luckily the bus was pretty full, and somebody took care of pressing the stop button for me. 

And while we're on the topic of buses, I have to tell you that the transportation system here is about million times better then any I've seen in America. The buses are clean and don't smell AT ALL. The same goes for the trains and the train stations. The taxis are not rusty old cars, they're Mercedes, and they look like this:

 

(This is the sort of taxi you never want to throw up in.) 

I'd of course heard that Germans take their cars very seriously, but it still surprises me how nice and well-maintained all of the vehicles are here in Munich. The vast majority of them look very expensive, and none of them look beat up, or like they've somehow survived ramming into a Tonka Truck. You're technically not even allowed to drive your car if there's any sort of exterior damage, and every car has to be inspected once every two years to make sure it's in good condition. 

But enough about the cars. The important thing here is that I managed to find the Marienplatz (home to the famous Glockenspiel) all by myself. As far as navigating the U-Bahn goes it was a pretty simple trip, but I gave myself a little mental pat on the back nonetheless. I'm sure that at least once I will end up somewhere miles away from my intended destination, but it didn't happen Saturday, so I'll drink to that as well.

I was meeting Lydia, my host family's current Au Pair, and one of her friends in front of the Rathous-Glockenspiel. I was there at noon so I was able to see the puppets dance high up on the tower, which I have to say was not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be, but was interesting nonetheless. I really want to go back on a day where there aren't as many tourists, so that I can get a better view of the puppets themselves. From the Marienplatz we walked through different parts of the city; I rubbed a few (supposedly) lucky lion's noses and went inside the Frauenkirche cathedral, one of the symbols of Bavaria and the highest building in Munich. Just inside the entrance of the cathedral is a single footprint claimed to have been made by the devil after he realized he couldn't go into the church because of the stained glass windows. In a fit of rage he stamped his footprint into the stone for all eternity. It looks like this: 

 

Naturally I stepped onto it, which probably canceled out all the good luck I accrued from rubbing the lion's noses, but it was a chance I was willing to take. 

You're supposed to rub the lion's noses every time you walk by them anyway, so I'm sure I'll have lots more opportunities to even the scales. The tradition itself is pretty significant, dating back to the Nazi regime. People would rub them as a sign of resistance after being forced to salute Hitler while walking through the square in front of Feldherrnhalle. 

After stopping for lunch we went to a massive store filled with Dirndls, the traditional Bavarian dress, and I can't tell you how excited I am to pick one up for Oktoberfest. The only problem will be choosing one, because there are so many different colors and styles, but trying half of them on is going to be part of the fun! 

Probably the most important thing that happened on Saturday was the Au Pair picnic in one of the biggest beer gardens in Munich: Hirschgarten. It was incredible for a handful of reasons: the weather was gorgeous (once the rain finally stopped), the beer garden was a lot of fun, and I got to meet several other Au Pairs in Munich who will be there almost the entire year of my stay. They were all really nice and a lot of fun. After we left the Hirschgarten we went to a music venue, and then we walked around the city for awhile. We eventually ended up at a McDonald's down in the U-Bahn station, and then as we were walking to catch our trains we ran into this, which if you've made it thus far is your reward for reading this incredibly long post. It's a video of my favorite part of the night, and one of the many reasons I already love Germany.

   

Roughly twenty guys were all dressed up in traditional costumes with their instruments in tow, playing rowdy drinking songs in the middle of the U-Bahn station around one o'clock in the morning, and trust me when I tell you that this video doesn't do it justice. Groups of Germans were singing along to all of the songs and dancing all throughout the crowd. Several times a Conga line was started, which I of course participated in, and people were holding their massive beer mugs up in the air and making toasts. It was awesome. 

Sunday my host family threw a really nice going away barbecue for Lydia. I was fortunate enough to meet more of her friends and spent the day visiting with them. Wednesday we're all going to an Irish pub to sing karaoke, and if you know me at all you know how much I love karaoke :)

Every day that's gone by has been easier then the one before it, and I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable with my host family, who've been incredibly helpful and kind. And to finish everything off, this time next week I will be in IRELAND with my best friend, who is flying out there for a family reunion. My host family will be on vacation at the exact same time and told me that I was free to go with them, or take some time to see different parts of Europe on my own. The timing worked out perfectly for us, so starting Saturday I will be all set to conquer Ireland AND Amsterdam with my partner in crime: the Wonder Twins are back in action in Europe. So incredibly excited. Three countries in only two weeks; not bad I'd like to think. I promise to be much better about pictures in the future. I've been slacking lately, mostly getting used to my new surroundings, but they're on their way. 

XO

Sarah (The American Au Pair in Germany)

From Munich With Love!

So.....my original plan was to post a blog entry a few days before I left for Germany: detailing how I was feeling, and what I was doing to get ready for my trip, accompanied by several pictures of me wrestling with two giant suitcases, but that obviously never happened. Partly because I spent every available second I had with my incredible, zany family (who I already miss terribly), and partly because I was so frustrated with the whole packing process that the thought of sitting down and documenting it made me want to take a hammer to my laptop, which would have been counter-productive. All you really need to know is that by some miracle I kept everything under my weight limit (taking into account the seventy dollars I already had to pay for an extra bag), and that I'm fairly certain I've over-packed, no shocker there.

(Last few moments with my feet on United States soil. Thank you my bestest friend for this picture :)

Now I've been in Germany for a little under a week and I feel like I've been on a roller ride thus far; I can only imagine what the next year might bring. The flight was pretty uneventful. I did not, for those of you that were wondering, sit next to any gorgeous European men. My sister and I have decided that we are both entirely unlucky when it comes to fortunate events such as this, and of course that streak would not be broken simply by me flying to Germany. The man in front of me had his seat reclined the entire flight, even when the food was being served; I retaliated by getting up to go to the bathroom and walk around every two hours or so, and the flight attendants addressed me several times in German instead of in English, which made me smile because they would switch languages based on what nationality they thought the passenger might be. Of course the moment I opened my mouth I ruined everything, but for a few seconds, I was unequivocally German :)

When we landed at the airport in Munich they couldn't get the walkway from the gate to attach to the plane. Twenty minutes later they rolled out these massive stairs and had everyone bused to the baggage claim, which was fine with me because I was worried about getting lost finding my way from the terminals to the front of the airport. Problemo solved. My host family was waiting for me in the greeting area, and the boys were holding homemade signs with my name written on them surrounded by Disney stickers. They've all been very welcoming and nice, and the boys are adorable. It has definitely been an adjustment getting used to my new surroundings, and I've had little moments of homesickness, but for the most part it's been really great, and I get better and better everyday. For now I'm just taking it one step at a time, next up: conquering the U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains. More about Germany and the millions of wonderful and amazing things surrounding me next time; for now, Gute Nacht and Good Night. 

XO

Sarah

Titles Are My Absolute Least Favorite Things

Well, maybe not my least favorite, but they are pretty far up there on my personal list of things I dislike. It’s because I hate titles so thoroughly that it has taken roughly a month for me to post anything on my shiny, new (read slightly intimidating) blog.

I am a self-professed over-analyzer. I have the extraordinary talent of turning the simplest things into full blown operatic dramas. It’s also true that I am very likely the most terrifying critic I will ever have to face. Nobody has ever been as hard on me as I am on myself. When I write, I churn words around in my head dozens of times, sometimes spending ten minutes on one, single sentence. Everything, every word has to be perfect. When it comes to something as important as a title, just the thought of creating something so definitive is enough to make me break out in hives. (A little bit of an exaggeration, but I do have sensitive skin.)

It took me several hours just to come up with a name for the blog itself. “HOW CAN I BE EXPECTED TO SLAP A NAME ON SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T YET EXIST”, was the thought running through my head over and over again. A few months from now I might randomly decide that I’m decidedly passionate about Humpback Whales. I may write an entire entry dedicated to the whale’s migration patterns or mating calls. I certainly don’t know what direction this blog is going to take, which is why I chose the title you now see at the top of the page, “Of Life, Love and Adventure.” My possible passion for whales could fall into the ‘Love’ category, along with a million other things I find extraordinary, and ‘Life’ and ‘Adventure’ are pretty generic, so I’ve covered my bases fairly well. I can write whatever I want. Fabulous!

Which, now that we’ve reached the topic, is what I hope to gain from this blogging experience. I’m going to do my absolute best to silence the hyper-analytical, overly critical, evil little voice in my head. I’m going to write for myself, spilling my thoughts on to this blog as honestly and as openly as I can. No more thinking of what other people might see in me; I’m going to experience the world in a whole new light, and I’m going to relate it to you in the way that brings me the greatest sense of fulfillment.

In thirty-five days, THIRTY-FIVE, I will be boarding a plane bound for Munich, Germany. I will be living there for a year, working as an Au Pair for a family with four small children, all boys, all very cute. I am very excited, very nervous, and even nostalgic thinking about everything and everyone I will be leaving behind. I can’t even begin to imagine all that lies ahead of me: the life I’m going to soon be living, the people whose stories will intercept with my own; I know that traveling this path will be the adventure of a lifetime.

I promise to record as much of what I see and experience on this blog as possible, for the people I love back at home to follow along with my travels, but also for myself. It will be an account that reflects the girl who writes it: sometimes zany and unpredictable, sometimes quiet and reflective, always full of love for the people that mean the most to her, and always searching for inspiration and flashes of clarity and beauty that truly make a life well-lived.

I plan to fit as many incredible, awe-inspiring, powerful moments as I can into one year abroad in Europe. I hope Germany is ready for me, because I’m about as ready as I will ever be.

XO

Sarah (the American Au Pair in Germany)

“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.” - Margaret Mitchell