Everytime We Say Goodbye.

 This blog post is dedicated to my sister Fabio.
A.K.A Kristin.
Also known as Sporty Spice.
And coincidentally one of the greatest people you will ever be lucky enough to meet.

“You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you...”  George R.R. Martin

I am a self-confessed lover of airports. For all of the cliche reasons too. I think you can find some of the purest examples of the depth of love and devotion possible between humans, whether they be friends, lovers, or in some cases sisters, standing at the arrival and departure gates. It's a beautiful thing to watch and although I have experienced those raw feelings of emotion myself several times in my life, nothing before could quite compare to the joy I felt as I saw my sister walking towards me, and then the overwhelming despair when I had to say good bye to her one week later.

I suppose in some respects eight months is not a terribly long time, and I must say that while I do have moments of homesickness and longing for my family my time here has flown by and I haven't once had a moment of true regret. 

But for eight months my worlds were separated by a very large ocean and almost the entirety of the United States of America. My family and friends were in California and my temporary life was here in Munich. But when those two collided, when my sister stepped off the airplane and into my German reality suddenly the clear lines between the two weren't so distinguishable anymore.

Dropping her off at the airport was incredibly hard; a part of me was sure that I wouldn't cry but let me tell you, the waterworks were out in full force. Of course there were people standing all around me with similar looks of loss and sadness on their own faces and mascara stained cheeks. 

So at least I was in good company.

But the worst part?

Taking the train home, imagining her sitting across from me in the same seats.

Walking into my house and being able to picture her boots lying by the door.

Going down into my room and seeing the water cup she'd sipped from the night before, and the bed she had been laying on with the blankets all tangled, just as she'd left them.

For one unforgettable week I'd spent every single moment with the beautiful, strong, and incredibly loving person I am fortunate enough to call my sister, and to suddenly no longer have her there felt like she'd taken a part of me with her. A part that I won't have back for quite some time.

She was here, if only for a short time, but now she's gone again. 

And while her visit has brought on a bout of the strongest homesickness I've had since coming to Germany I still wouldn't change it for the world. Because even if one week could never feel like enough time with someone so incredibly important to me, it was still one week more then I would have had otherwise. And despite an almost comical string of unfortunate occurrences I still had the time of my life. Definitely worth it.

Things that tried to ruin our trip, but ultimately were unable to:

1. Horrible weather. We're talking wind and snow and rain, cloudy skies and foggy mornings. The forecast for the week started off tolerably well and then each day got progressively worse. I think we saw blue skies one time, for about half a day. Thanks a lot Germany!

2. Trains that didn't quite correspond to our purchased tickets. One crabby ticket woman later and I was forced to say "Auf Wiedersehen" to eighty euros. One mistake I will NOT be making twice. 

3. Plans that kept having to be altered and changed because of said weather and other unforeseen circumstances. We weren't able to see and do everything I'd originally hoped we could but we had fun nonetheless.
4. Stomach viruses!

Unfortunate occurrences: 300

Sarah and Kristin: 900

I have to give them some credit for putting up a valiant effort.

And now for the good stuff :)

How familiar are you with the Sound of Music?

Do you know all of the lyrics to every single song?

Did you pretend to march down the stairs in a school uniform with the Von Trapp children as a small child?

Do you know that to learn to sing you must start at the very beginning, and that the first three notes 

just happen to be Do Re Mi?

Because Kristin and I could answer yes to all of those questions. We have been Sound of Music fiends since we were seven and five years old, respectively, and so of course a visit together to Salzburg was mandatory. And if you were to ask me whether we sang along to all the songs played during the time we spent on the tour bus I would unashamedly look you in they eyes and say one thing: 

obviously. 

We saw those hills. They may have been covered in snow and the view obstructed by storm clouds, but they were still there. It counts.

We knew that the tour would be a lot of fun, simply because we are exactly the kind of people who would enjoy visiting all the sights in Salzburg used as a backdrop for the film, but what we weren't expecting was to fall completely in love with the city itself. Salzburg is truly incredible, and this was when it was covered by gray skies and a bit of snow. I could just imagine what it must be like in the spring and summer. We hadn't any sort of plan for our visit other then the tour itself and ended up using a map provided by the hostel we stayed at to do our own walking tour of the historic city center. We huffed and puffed our way up to the medieval fortress situated on a mountain high above the city with incredible views and when we were hungry chose an authentic-looking Austrian restaurant.

Spinach dumpling balls = deliciousness.

 Truly I think I would be happy in Salzburg for quite some time. The only real draw back was that smoking is still allowed inside restaurants and cafe's. Which is fairly disgusting.
But look at that view!

We had quite a few epic nights out in Munich filled with adventures and escapades, all you really need to know is that they generally involved German Bier. Kristin tried on the cutest Dirndl I do believe I've ever seen. It has inspired me to go out and buy another one of my own. I'm trying to resist seeing as how I already have a perfectly beautiful Dirndl, and they are quite expensive. I'll let you know how that resolution goes. But I really can understand how Bavarian woman own four to five different Dirndl's of their own. These things are addictive and pretty much look awesome on everyone. They're like magic dresses.

 All dressed up with lots of places to go :)

While exploring Munich we found an adorable cake shop. The display window faces the street and is filled with some of the prettiest 'Tortes' you ever will see. I've passed by it hundreds of times and never stopped to try one, so it's a good thing Kristin was there to persuade me to stop in. Or not such a good thing, depending on how you look at it. I'm sure my gym membership won't be too happy. But seriously, these little creations were amazing. One of the most disappointing things in life is when you bite into something that looks heavenly only to be sorely disappointed. Thankfully this was not the case.

 If you ever find yourself in Munich find Cafe Maelu. And then send me a cake.

We almost froze during a tour of Dachau. At one point the guide commented that we looked pretty miserable every time we were asked to step outside. Kristin had an excuse, literally just having come from California, I had absolutely none. I was cold because I didn't wear warm enough clothing. Once I heard someone say that there is no cold weather, only inadequate clothing. True story. I do have to say though that it added an almost surreal element to the experience. The last time I was at Dachau it was a beautiful fall day. The sun was shining and it was warm. The whole place was surrounded by lush, green trees and framed by a perfectly blue sky. A harsh contrast to the reality of the camp itself. This time I was so cold and uncomfortable that it was hard not to imagine the prisoners standing outside in the camp yard themselves for hours to be counted and berated in little more then pajama sets and worn shoes, and in weather much colder then what we endured. It was a stark reminder of how little I had to actually complain about.

This iron gate leading into Dachau with the infamous "ARBEIT MACHT FREI". English translation: work will set you free. This slogan was placed at the entrances of many of the Nazi concentration camps.

We made friends at the famous Haufbrauhaus and Augustiner bier halls and drank our Maß down like champions. And by some miracle the absolute BEST eis place in German had just re-opened for the spring and summer season. So Kristin got some of that as well. Twice :) :)
P.S. Winter: take a hint. I am so over you.

And of course, we spent quite a bit of time with the boys who fell head over heels in love with meine schwester. She truly had them wrapped around her finger. At one point we were told that they had a new plan: when my year was up Kristin was to come back to Germany and take my place. Keeping it in the family! But don't worry Mom, she intends to finish school first.

Things Kristin can now appreciate about Germany:
1. Super cool old churches.
2. Super cool old buildings. 
3. Schittgablerstrasse.
4. Balla Benni's!
5. German bakeries. (She fell in love.)
6. Dirndl's.
7. Gummi Bears!
8. Cute German babies! Seriously, they're pretty adorable.

We love Haribo.

To my sister: thank you for sacrificing your spring break to come spend a week in the North Pole. I'm sorry Germany tried to freeze the life out of you. But you survived! I love you as much as the whole world and back again and I can't imagine the person I would be without your influence. With you I will always be home.

P.S. I still say our next adventure should be the Amazing Race. We would knock everyone's socks off.
And because I was lucky enough to have my best friend visit me one week after my sister left you should all expect that blog update very soon. Despite the (finally) BEAUTIFUL weather outside my window it's going to happen. Get ready Theresa Rose!

Twelve days until I get to see my mama and one month until I'm lying on the beaches of SPAIN!
And today I found plane tickets from Munich to Rome for 90 EUROS. So that's definitely happening.
Happy Spring to everyone in Europe who is seeing the sun for the first time in months, and to all my family and friends. Goodbye winter, hello bier gardens and Fruhlingsfest!

XO
Sarah

An Ode to The Buried Life

For those of you not familiar with The Buried Life, it is one of the few shows MTV has ever broadcast that has encouraged young adults to do something with their lives other then drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol and have lots of random sex. So kudos to you MTV.

The show follows four friends who are determined to check items off of their sometimes inspiring, sometimes ridiculous but always entertaining list of things they want to accomplish before they die. And for every one thing that they are able to accomplish they help a random stranger achieve a dream of their own by asking the question, "What do you want to do before you die?" It's a great concept, and one that caught attention rather quickly. Like The Bucket List before it, it inspired people to create a list of their own, to ask themselves what they wanted most out of life, and to what lengths they would be willing to go to achieve those goals.

And I was one of those people.

I'd thought about starting a list many times, but every time I sat down to write it the things I wanted to do sounded so ridiculous and out of reach that I would invariably end up throwing my pen across the room and tearing the paper to shreds. Which may be a bit of an exaggeration but the end of the story is exactly the same no matter the embellishments: I started off with a list and ended up with nothing.

Until one day I really pushed myself to finish it. After all it wasn't as if this was some sort of binding contract, like if I didn't complete everything I would be reprimanded or punished. I decided to look at it as a list of opportunities, a list of promises to myself: if I were ever to be in a situation that afforded the completion of any one of the items I was going to throw myself at the opportunity, and if I go through my whole life and am never able to go zorbing, spend a night in the Disney Dreams Suite, or win a Pulitzer Prize then so be it. At least I was shooting for the stars.

But really? Look at this view. And how awesome would it be to say you spent the night over the Pirates of the Caribbean?

I've carried this list with me and have kept it in a journal for quite some time but it wasn't until I pulled it out after my trip to London that I realized how many things I've accomplished on the list in the last year alone. Things that once seemed so impossible that I can now look down at and say, "What do you know? I've actually done that." Which truly is what this whole year has been about. I decided to become an Au Pair because I wanted to see the world. I'd dreamed of it for so long and then suddenly here this opportunity was, staring me right in the face, and I knew that I would be a fool not to reach out and grab hold of it. So this blog post is dedicated to The Buried Life, for inspiring me, to my own personal bucket list, for showing me that even the craziest of dreams can come true, and to Audrey Hepburn.

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible!"

And now................

LONDON :)

I was tempted to add two smiley faces: that's how excited I was about this trip. When I first looked into becoming an Au Pair in Europe England was the country I'd set my sights on. I think I was ten years old when I read some sort of biography on a young Elizabeth I and from that moment I was a lost cause. I read everything relating to the Tudor reign and British history that I could get my hands on. I looked up monuments and famous palaces, dreaming of the day when I would be able to see them in person. I was a woman obsessed.

Imagine my disappointment when I realized that, as an American, I wasn't allowed to Au Pair in the United Kingdom.

Rude.

It's because we threw their tea into the Boston Harbor. I know it.

It wasn't long though until I'd settled on Germany and while I'm very happy to be in Munich I knew that, at some point during my year abroad, I was going to have to make a little call on London.

Now there was a very good chance that this trip was going to fall flat on its dignified and expectant face: my expectations were incredibly high, but when Tiffany and I were at the gate waiting for our plane to board I happened to see this:

 And this, my friends, is what I like to call a sign.

I just knew that any trip that started with me stumbling across such a tiny jar of Nutella was destined for greatness. Coincidence?

I think not.

London was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Which isn't to say that it was perfect or someplace that I would want to live for the rest of my life, but it was such an enchanting combination of history, pomp and circumstance, and vibrancy that my old Yankee heart just about melted. My trip was truly a dream come to life, and something I'll never forget. 

Our plane flew into Heathrow in the evening and by the time we made it all the way into the city we'd decided that the best thing would be to find our hostel and then call it a night. Sounds pretty simple. 

Maybe it would have been too if it hadn't been dark, and windy, and cold when we stepped out of the underground station at our stop. And London, like Germany, seems determined to confuse everybody by not using clear street signs, or in some cases any street signs at all. Needless to say we were dragging our suitcases around for quite some time before we thankfully ended up on the right street, but when we stopped in front of our hostel I didn't even mind because it looked like this:

Which for someone who, as previously discussed, has a penchant for old buildings, was quite a treat.

The building was marvelously ancient and the hostel did an excellent and tasteful job renovating it. The beauty of my surroundings helped me move past the difficult logistics that inevitably accompany sleeping in a room with twenty-seven strangers, and despite some hilarious bathroom stories, I walked away without a scratch. NO BED BUGS :)

Our first day out we decided to do one of the Sandman's Free walking tours, which are a great way to associate yourself with any city. Our guide took us through most of the major landmarks...

Hello Big Ben :)

...and ended the tour in a really cool pub right down the street from Westminster Abbey. Where I had a genuine British pie! We also purchased tickets for the Jack the Ripper night tour and the London pub crawl through the same company, both of which turned out to be a lot of fun. As much fun as a Jack the Ripper tour can be anyway: we had a really great tour guide. That being said I still wasn't hungry for dinner after that particular walk.

After our tour we decided to walk down the river Thames from Parliament and the London Eye to the Tower Bridge. It took a little over an hour but, as you can see from the photo, we had extraordinary weather. Almost the entire time we were in London we were graced with blue skies and sunshine during the day, but once the sun went down all bets were off. I completely understand now how Mary Poppins traveled all around England with an umbrella. 

That wind is no joke. 

 The Tower of London!

We ended the night with a trip to Westminster Abbey to hear an organ recital and to attend a small Sunday service, which is the absolute way to go when it comes to seeing the famous cathedrals in London. 

Entrance fee into Westminster Abbey during visiting hours? Eighteen pounds.

Entrance fee into Westminster Abbey during religious services? ZERO pounds.

Eighteen pounds is the equivalent of twenty-seven dollars!

Granted, in Westminster Abbey we weren't allowed to walk around and look at any of the monuments, but I was able to sit right next to the alter in the nave of the abbey, exactly where the Queen and Prince Philip sat during the Royal Wedding. You can't get much closer then that.

Truly though the place that really took my breathe away was St. Paul's Cathedral.

Tiffany and I decided early on to take one day to ourselves. We would explore the city on our own and then meet up for dinner later in the evening. This is the day that I visited St. Paul's Cathedral. After spending a considerable amount of time in Kensington Gardens with the Peter Pan Statue and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and after taking a tour of Kensington Palace, I decided that I wanted to visit the cathedral.

Why?

Because when I was a little girl I was in love with this song.

 I wanted to visit the cathedral and sit on those famous steps and think about why that song was Walt Disney's favorite. Because after all it's about more then the birds.

And when I first arrived there I did just that.

I then went inside the cathedral and into the small chapel situated next to the entrance, which was the only place I could access without paying the entrance fee. I sat there for awhile and watched as people came into the small room to light candles and to pray, and eventually lit a candle of my own for a man who sat next to me in the pews for some time. When he first sat down I didn't pay him much notice. He wore a pin-striped business suit and carried a black briefcase. He was balding slightly but was in fairly good shape with small silver glasses perched upon his nose. Completely ordinary. It wasn't until he was sitting next to me for several minutes that I realized he had tears streaming down his face and that his nose was red. The entire time he sat next to me I wished I could reach out and take his hand, but of course I didn't. I was a stranger and I was afraid that if I acknowledged his pain I would upset him more. Despite this a part of me still feels I should have. After some time he wiped his eyes and stood up to leave, presumably to return to his office from his lunch break, and if I hadn't been inches from him the entire time he cried I never would have been able to guess. I lit a candle for him because I didn't know how else I could help him and because it was hard to be so harshly reminded that it's impossible to know of the pain the strangers around me carry with them. I hope that whoever he sat next to on the train or passed him on the way into the office offered him a smile. And I hope I never forget to remember that everyone has a story.

That evening St. Paul's was offering an Evesong service, which is really just the cathedral's choir singing a selection of hymnals. By the time I left the chapel I still had to wait a couple of hours before this began so I decided to treat myself to a full, British afternoon tea sitting. I went to the restaurant attached to the cathedral and ordered a High tea, complete with scones, finger sandwiches, and petite fours, and it was delicious. I felt a little odd because the restaurant was almost entirely empty, and for a large portion of the time it was just the wait staff and myself, but in a way it was refreshing to be left alone with my thoughts. 

This is of course, not my picture. By this point my camera had died because I was the genius who forgot to bring her camera charger. And then proceeded to take an obscene amount of pictures at the Harry Potter studio tour three days into my trip; half of which didn't turn out that great anyway. It is, however, a picture of the High tea at the restaurant I was at, and what I enjoyed that afternoon.

Going back for the Evesong that night was truly one of the highlights of my time in London. For several reasons. The first being that the staff were much more relaxed then those working at Westminster Abbey. The service didn't start until six o'clock but at five-thirty they shut down their ticket booths and just allowed the people who had come for the Evesong to explore the cathedral. At the abbey it was straight to your seats, don't pass go and forget about the two hundred dollars. Seriously, they meant business.

The second reason was that the cathedral absolutely took my breath away, and this is coming from someone who has been in a whole lot of beautiful, historic churches within the last six months. Standing underneath that dome was an incredible and defining experience. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside any of the churches, but even if they had allowed it I wouldn't have been able to do it justice. 
 Lastly the priest allowed a small number of people to sit in the choir pews, right up near the altar, and I was lucky enough to obtain one of those seats.  For one half hour I was surrounded by beautiful music and incredible architecture and art.

It took my breath away in the most surreal way.

After the service was over I walked around the cathedral for a bit longer, trying to soak as much of it in as I possibly could, before hopping back on a train to meet Tiffany. 
Number of things that I managed to accomplish on my bucket list in one day: 3. 
Pretty impressive.

Sarah's Top Ten Favorite Experiences in London (in no particular order):
1. Seeing the Peter Pan Statue.
2. Walking through the Tower of London and standing on the Tower Green. (Hello! Anne Boleyn obsession.)
3. Finally attending a live performance of Wicked. It only took about five years.
4. Having tea underneath St. Paul's Cathedral. 
5. Exploring St. Paul's Cathedral.
6. Going on a pub crawl. (Which was incredibly fun for many reasons. One of them being that my friend Tiffany is a rock star.)
7. Listening to the famous dongs of Big Ben.
8. Watching the Queen's guards march around every five minutes or so in their massive, boat-like shoes. Most boring and tedious job ever; it's no wonder they never smile. Still very entertaining for the casual observer. 
9. Strolling through a produce/flea market sipping on a cup of tea. 
10. Platform nine and three quarters. Enough said.

Which very conveniently brings me to my next topic: THE HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR. It's not included in my top 10 list because, technically speaking, we had to travel outside of London to get there. On a really cool themed bus with stills from the films plastered all over it. 
So deliciously touristy.

How could anyone not be jealous of this ride??

And despite the fact that I foolishly sent my camera to an early death (temporarily of course) by acting like a woman possessed, it was totally worth it.

Because this, my friends, is Harry's genuine cupboard  underneath the stairs.

This is the actual Invisibility Cloaked used in the movies, worn by Daniel Radcliffe.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” 

 Because butterbeer is delicious.

And because of Dobby!

 It is absolutely incredible how much detail and work went into the making of those movies. The tour is not guided; you can spend hours poking around the actual sets used in the films and looking at all of the props and costumes. Most of the staff who are positioned around the building to answer questions were themselves extras in the films, and if you think you know all things Harry Potter watch out: they can give you a serious run for your galleons. Walking down the real Diagon Alley?? So cool.
Spending twenty minutes picking out the perfect wand?
Also cool: I'm not ashamed to admit it.
It's currently sitting above my dresser, reminding me of all things magical and awesome.

The only other time we left the city of London was to explore Bristol and to visit the home built by my great grandfather in the late 1600's. So of course Sir Robert Cann is a bit greater then my great grandfather, but it's sufficient to say that without him there would be no me. Perish the thought.
But in all seriousness, I was incredibly excited to visit Stoke House. It's something I've wanted to do and see for a very long time and when I contacted the theological college that now resides in the building they were more then happy to show me around the grounds, and were incredibly accommodating and informative.

Not to shabby Grandpa Cann.

The ladies working in the office jokingly asked me if I was there to re-stake my birthright and take over the home. I told them that that was, of course, the general plan. A girl can dream.

It was extraordinary to see though. I could just imagine my ancestors running up and down the staircase and strolling around the grounds of the estate. And it's supposedly haunted!! No house that old would be credible without it's very own resident ghost. 

 The insignia over the door with the Cann family crest.

The staircase in the house is the original and almost three hundred and fifty years old!

And this, my friends, is a wooden carving of Sir Robert Cann himself. See the family resemblance??

It was really nice to be able to get out of London for a bit and see more of England than just its most famous city. The train ride to Bristol was beautiful. I would love to spend more time exploring the countryside and smaller towns.

And so that, in a nutshell, was my trip to England.

Now because I am so horrible about updating this blog regularly I never wrote a single word about my experience at an FC Bayern football match.
For shame.
It was so incredibly fun and I was very fortunate to be able to go. The atmosphere was INSANE. I thought it could get pretty crazy in the bleachers at a Giants game but this was something else entirely. I went with my host mom and Mats and our seats were seven rows up from the field, right down the center of the pitch.

I could hear and see everything.
Europe, and especially Germany, loves their football, and the longer I'm here the easier it is for me to understand why.

Reason #185 that I'm excited for it to be summer: watching football matches in the bier gardens surrounded by people whose enthusiasm for their team is INSANE. They were honestly on their feet the entire game, chanting and jumping up and down and waving those massive flags.

And because I didn't want to feel incredibly out of place surrounded by a sea of red I bought an FC Bayern scarf to wear to the game. Pretty awesome souvenir.

 And now some tiny observations.

1. A happy Au Pair is a happy host family. I've been fortunate enough to have been blessed with an incredible host family but for any potential Au Pairs reading this blog, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and safe in your environment. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself but sometimes it has to be done. A good host family will realize that it's in their best interests to be fair and understanding. To the girls I've known who've had the courage to extricate themselves from some rather unpleasant situations: I applaud you.

2. Bus drivers who wait until the two small boys I have with me are seated before they pull away from the stop deserve a reward for thoughtfulness.

3. No matter what people say about the German demeanor, which I will admit does sometimes live up to the stereotype, it's not always true. Furthermore, no where else but Germany have I had so many people stop me to place the five cents that I'd unknowingly dropped on the ground in my hand. And if you leave your scarf on the train? Chances are whoever was sitting next to you is going to jump up out of their seat and try to catch you before you are completely lost. They may look at you with exasperation, but I've gotten quite used to that look; I'm just happy to still have my scarf.

And because this blog post is, after all, an ode to The Buried Life, I'm going to share with you my Bucket List, or at least the items that I've been fortunate enough to tick off so far. And I hope it always reminds me to live my life with intention and passion and to take a moment every so often to realize just how fortunate I truly am.

6. Spend an hour sitting by the Peter Pan statue. Take lots of pictures.
7. Drink butterbeer in Harry Potter World.
14. Graduate college.
16. Get white-girl wasted at Oktoberfest.
19. See Ireland. Buy a Claddagh ring.
26. Have a solo in a big concert.
27. Visit the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn.
30. See the fairy-tale castle in Germany. (Which I now know is called Neuschwanstein. And I can pronounce and spell it like a champion :)
34. Have an extensive conversation in a language other than English.
35. Sit down to tea in England. Possibly with the Queen.
36. Jump from a cliff into deep water.
39. Ride a mechanical bull. Stay on for at least five seconds.
42. Travel first-class, at least one time.
51. Drink spiced wine at a Christmas market in Germany.
55. Spend the night underneath the stars during a meteor shower.
58. Go to Europe.
64.Sing the National Anthem in front of a packed stadium.
72. Chase the sunrise: watch it fill the world with light.
83. Spend time on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral.
94. Visit Stoke House in Bristol. Curse your forefathers for moving to America. (Kind of a joke, but it really was a very nice manor.)

Things I have to be excited about:
-Spring and Summer in Deutschland!
-Bier gardens.
-Fruhlingsfest :)
(A.K.A. DIRNDL TIME!!)
-Mallorca, Spain with my host family!

AND....three of the most important people in my life all coming to visit me!!!!
There are not enough exclamation points in the world to emphasize my excitement.
Countdown to Kristin: 13 DAYS!!
Countdown to Theresa: 30 Days!
Countdown to my mama: 52 Days!
How is anyone supposed to not jump for joy with all of that to look forward to?

To Tiffany and Shandi: the time that I've had with you here has been one of the highlights of my life and it's so incredibly special because I've had you as my friends. I already miss you, and Deutschland misses you too! Wish you were still here but I hope it isn't long before I can see you again. The hardest part about this experience is having to walk away from a life that has been so filled with meaning and love.
Hard to believe I've almost been here for eight months. I can't wait to see what the next five months will bring.

XO
Sarah

 

 

Frohe Weihnachten! And Berlin :)

Frohe Weihnachten!

They all tried to warn me: I can't tell you how many times I was told that Germany rarely ever experiences a white Christmas. That the snow comes for a few weeks, melts before the twenty-fourth, and then returns sometime in January. I willfully decided that this year was going to be different. For the first time in my life I was going to experience the holiday straight from the set of White Christmas. I even walked around Munich listening to Bing Crosby for a week straight in preparation. The snow in Munich was gone long before Christmas Eve but I still wasn't worried. After all, I would be spending the holiday in Northern Germany with the grandparents of my host family. The sight of the melting slush piles in Munich didn't even faze me. Bing just kept crooning along, and I kept dreaming of my White Christmas.

I almost got it too.

The day we arrived at the grandparents house, two days before Christmas, there was snow all over the place. I had a snowball fight with my host family and watched Frosty be brought to life by the boys in front of the house. He had a top hat and everything. I was feeling pretty confident and quite happy with myself. As if the weather was all due to my refusal to accept anything but glistening trees and sleigh-bells for the holidays. 

Fast forward twenty-four hours. 

My host parents tell me that the weatherman has called for rain, and I stubbornly refuse to believe it. Even as I watched fat raindrops slide down the windows of the house I was perpetually calculating how many hours were left before Christmas Eve. If a miracle snow storm could happen to Bing Crosby in Vermont, who's to say I must accept anything less? Right??

Wrong.

Christmas movies give me unrealistic expectations of what I believe my life should be. I blame them for the acute disappointment I felt as Christmas came to a close and there was still no snow. Although we did venture outside of the house on Christmas Day to visit the town of Wittenburg (which was the birthplace and home of Martin Luther) and as we walked to the car I spied a pile of brown slush along the street. That is more snow then I could ever hope to see in California. It's the little things.

 Despite this, my Christmas was pretty spectacular.

The parents of my host parents have always been incredible warm and kind to me. I feel so lucky sometimes; I've heard quite a few horror stories from other Au Pairs and it always reminds me how blessed I am to have chosen and been chosen by the family I was placed with. The first week we spent with my host mother's parents. I love German neighborhoods and this one was no exception, but the coolest thing about their house was the bar/restaurant they've made out of their basement. It had tables with a wraparound booth and bar stools and everything. The first night we had a mini-celebration down there with those little poppers filled with confetti and Christmas music. We then proceeded to play quite a few rounds of musical chairs and other party games. Which, if you ask me, is a pretty cool way to be welcomed into somebodies home. The boys were so excited on Christmas Eve and, after we all came back from church, practically flew into the house to see what the Weihnachtsman had left them.

 

We love PRESENTS!!!

 

 And Theo loves chocolate! 

The only downside to all of this merry-making was that I was sick, which really shouldn't surprise me because I've been sick over Christmas for the last four years. It's like a curse. The Universe balances out my love for the holiday season by striking me down with various illnesses just to try and contain my happiness. The only difference is that this year my mild sickness turned into a sinus infection, which I'm sure you can imagine was a lovely thing to experience around my host family. I think I went through several boxes of tissues and quite a few rolls of toilet paper: worst house guest ever. 

On the twenty-sixth we traveled to the home of my host fathers parents. I absolutely LOVED the town they lived in: Zeitz, Germany. But I am admittedly a bit odd, and it's for a bit of an odd reason. 

The city is very old, as in nine hundred years old, and there are a small handful of those original buildings still standing. But it's also an abandoned city. After the Berlin wall fell many of the factories and industries in East Germany became uncompetitive, shutting down or in some cases relocating. As a result many of the people living in these small towns shipped out as well, heading towards the larger cities and better opportunities. Now the towns have taken on a bit of a ghostly semblance. There are the most extraordinary buildings with beautiful brick and ornamental stone facades with broken window frames and boarded up doors. Some of them have begun to be reclaimed by the earth. I went on a walk around the town one day and could see tree trunks poking out of windows and vines covering the walls inside of the houses. There's something so magical about them. How many stories must they contain within their crumbling walls? 

I just wish I had taken more pictures. Which is pretty much the story of my life.

There was an an old school right down the street from the grandparents house: massive with red-brick walls and terraces with wrought-iron railings. It was a little spooky because it was so imposing and yet so neglected. A lot of the windows were broken and the play yard was over-run with weeds and growth, but I could just see it teeming with school children. I asked the Opa and he said it was built in the 1700's. Can you imagine an entire town filled with the most handsome, historical buildings lying completely forgotten?

Exploring is my favorite :)

The first night we arrived a Christmas market was still going on in the courtyard of a castle located within the town. The castle itself wasn't incredibly old, built sometime in the 17th century in the Baroque style, which I'm not a huge fan of; the really cool part was getting to see the cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, which was connected to the castle. It still houses the original, thousand year old crypt underneath the alter. The coffins are on display of one of the Dukes and his family, over three hundred years old. They were more then a little creepy: very ornamental but covered in dust and haunted mansionesque. I'm sure the Duke would be very put-out to know his coffin was being gawked at by hundreds of people every day. 

Very undignified.

The day before I left them to go to Berlin for New Years my host family took me to see Schloss Neuenburg, which sits high up on a mountain top and has an incredible view of the surrounding countryside.

The best part?? I was Queen for the day...literally.

Welcome to mein Haus.

The Medieval castle had a special tour for children. To begin they lead everyone into what looks like a miniature replica of a throne room, with an entire costume of closets lining the walls. While relaying the castles' history the guide leads everyone up one by one and chooses a character for them. And yours truly was chosen to be the Konig, or in this case the Queen. The costume was incredibly detailed: with a headdress and crown, and underclothes beneath the gown I was given. When we were walking around outside and through the castle the woman gave me a beautiful, purple velvet cape to wrap around my shoulders. Everyone had to curtsy and bow down to me and wait to exit the room until I had left. And this is not an exaggeration. My head is now twice its former size. 

Thanks Schloss Neuenburg.

The boys were knights of the realm and looked so cute with their wooden swords and horses. They were grinning from ear to ear, but then so were all of the adults.

I was too busy playing Queen of the Castle to take pictures, but someday I will get the ones my host dad took on his camera. Just use your imagination. 

It was an interesting dynamic, traveling with my host family. It wasn't as if I was "working" or on duty. More like I was treated as another member of their family. I helped put the boys to bed a few times and played with them during the day. We went on several trips, with both sets of grandparents, and almost every night I would stay up talking with my host parents and the grandparents and drinking Prosecco and Gluhwein. A delicious combination, ESPECIALLY after you throw in some Christmas chocolate.

I was exposed to a decent amount of typically German cuisine and for the most part I really enjoyed it.

Not my picture, but similar to what my Christmas dinner looked like.

And I ate veal for the first time in my life. Unintentionally. I almost wished I'd never asked what kind of meat it was that I was greedily shoving down my pallet, but it was so good, and I'd never tasted anything like it before.

Sarah: Was ist das?

Oma: Das ist Kalbfleisch.

A moment while I process that Kalb sounds alarmingly like calf. And then I get the translation.

Veal.

Sarah: Oh.

Oh crap.

Let me tell you, I left for Berlin with a very guilty conscious. 

Now I have to say as a disclaimer: I am not Berlins biggest fan. I was more then happy to return to Munich and I can't say that I would ever again go out of my way to visit the city. I did enjoy my time there and I think it was important that I got to see the capital city of Germany, as well as one of the most important historical sights in the world, but I'm afraid I've become a bit of a Munich snob. 

Shandi and Alexa: don't judge me.

However my two friends that I was traveling with loved it, so it can't be all bad :)

It truly is an interesting city and is much more open and edgier then Munich, but it also is not nearly as beautiful or well-maintained. 

In Munich I catch the last train at two o'clock in the morning and still feel perfectly safe walking home by myself. And anyone who knows me knows how overly paranoid cautious I can be. I would never feel so comfortable in Berlin. I'm afraid I've been bit by the Bavarian bug; there's no turning back.

That being said, I did have a pretty great New Years.

Somewhere in this vast crowd of people, down towards the bottom left, is where I was standing. 

I was there I swear!

The crazy thing is that this picture doesn't even represent the sheer number of people who were at the famous Brandenburger Tor for New Years. This avenue stretches all the way down for several blocks and was FILLED with people. I've never seen anything like it. But what was even more incredible were the fireworks that went off all around the city in the hours leading up to New Years, and especially in the hour right after we heralded in 2013. Germany has absolutely NO laws regulating fireworks as far as I could tell. They were literally being set off all over the city in champagne bottles. The big, illegal ones that will get you a serious fine and possibly jail time in California. After we left the Bradenburger Tor we stopped at a park and just watched as HUNDREDS of fireworks exploded all around us. It was absolutely incredible. The entire city was shaking and it sounded as if cannons were perpetually being lit. We stood there for awhile, taking it all in, but then someone must have knocked a champagne bottle over as they were lighting a rocket because it shot off into the crowd and exploded right over our heads. At which point we decided we kind of liked our bodies to be all in one piece, and booked it out of there. It was very cool, but towards the end more then a little overwhelming. I'm glad to have seen it, but I'm also glad to have made it out with my life.

We didn't do nearly as much sight-seeing as we possibly should have, blame Berlin's nightlife, but we did visit the Berlin Wall, the Jewish Holocaust Museum, and various other monuments throughout the city.

And I climbed the Berlin Wall on a very old, very suspicious looking ladder to take this picture:

 

Twas a very dangerous endeavor. 

It was pretty incredible being able to see and touch the wall itself. And the East side is covered with incredible murals.

 

To Shandi and Alexa: I was so excited to experience Berlin with you both and loved our time together. I wouldn't have wanted to wait for hours and hours in line in the freezing cold for one of Berlins' "hottest" clubs with anyone else :)

So the Christmas season has officially come to a close. Sad day. I've loved nearly every minute of the last month or so. German Christmas Markets are everything they're cracked up to be, especially when covered under a blanket of snow. There are all so different and have the coolest gifts and trinkets. My favorite was, by far, Nuremburg, which was located in the square of one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen. Imagine winding streets built into a hill with old, historical buildings on either side covered in snow and Christmas lights. That's Nuremburg. 

 

 And it has several BEAUTIFUL cathedrals. I'm making a point to go back during the summer, just to experience the town all over again.

I've forced myself to finish this blog entry this morning because in a few hours I will be going to an FC BAYERN FOOTBALL GAME! My scarf is all ready and I am so excited. And if I'd attempted to squeeze that experience in with all of this I would have been writing for days on end.

Things to look forward to:
 -London in seven days! Assuming the snow stops and they don't cancel my flight.
-Kristin, also known as my sister, also known as one of my favorite people in the whole world, visits me at the end of March!
-FC BAYERN!

I'm also making a resolution. I live about a fifteen minute walk from the BMW museum, as well as the Olympic park, and have yet to tour the BMW plant or the roof of the Olympic stadium. I have also not yet climbed to the top of the hill in the Olympic park and watched the sunrise. Considering I pass by these things nearly EVERY DAY on my way down to the U-Bahn station, I'm resolved to experience them within the next two months.
Happy Holidays and love to all of my family and friends.
XO
Sarah

P.S. For anyone who may be interested themselves in Au Pairing in Germany, this is a link to the agency I went through. My blog is featured on their website and there is a lot of information and testimonials from other Au Pairs, but also from the agency, about what the experience is like. I couldn't offer them a better referral. The support they've shown me throughout this entire process has been tremendous, and I truly count this as one of the best, albeit scariest decisions I've ever made.
Click here to be redirected to the AuPairCare website.