Autumn Leaves

The problem I have with cold weather is that I feel as though I am constantly wearing the SAME outfit.

Black top, black shoes, jeans, cream jacket.
White top, grey shoes, jeans, cream jacket.
Black jeans, black boots....

You get the picture.

And even if you try mix it up with a different colour scarf, you still feel like you're wearing the same thing that you wore yesterday, and the other 5 days before that.

Walking to school, and then to work, I can't help wondering a) how everyone else managed to look so NICE and WARM in dresses, and skirts and other lovely things, and b) if anyone has NOTICED that I seem to wear a slightly different version of the same thing EVERY DAY?

True, I don't know many people, but I am going into a classroom everyday with a very limited number of people, (and I sure notice what they wear) and while children may not take much note of clothing, they are particularly blunt when they do. "Why do you wear those same shoes everyday"
(Because it's cold, Sugar, and my sandals just don't fly in this kinda weather!)

My clothes are all Clean And Paid For, and I am warm (not quite sure how this flu crept into my throat!!) and I am in GERMANY for crying out loud. So really cares what you look like. Unless grandparents are around (then it's neatly cut and combed hair and your BEST clothes).

At least I have something different to wear tomorrow. Dirndl... the traditional dress for woman in Germany... specifically at this very special OKTOBERFESTY time of year. :) And at this time of year, the clothes sure don't matter. The only thing you need to worry about is the temperature of the beer.

House Guests

When having people come stay with you, it is probably important to actually be at home so they can stay WITH you.

However, given the Castle Capturing circumstances, we were not around to welcome our First House Guests.

It is probably also a good idea to spend time with / see said house guest. Go on adventures, do activities, swop stickers, usual things. However, I am doing a course in the mornings and then going straight to work until about 7:30pm, so the only thing these house guests see of me is my Tired Face.

This is mostly because our apartment, while roomy enough for two of us, is not all THAT spacious, so in order for me to get out of the bedroom, I need to step over their mattress in the lounge. Well, that, and the difficulty I have keeping a hair dryer quiet.

Perhaps it is better, then the Visitors can do their own thing, and have stories to tell over The Evening Wine. (This of course is the most important part of the day!)
That's what I will tell myself anyway, what with schools going back this week and new schedules, so I don't feel like SUCH a bad host.

I promise, I will make sure I am available for mid morning tea when you come!

The Tired Face in the mornings and after an afternoon of intensive colouring in however, I cannot be sure will go away...

I am a real princess...

King Ludwig. What a visionary!
The aim was to build 3 castles, each better than the last.
He may have died under very mysterious circumstances, and with a debt of 13 million Euro (in 1886 this was a substantial amount, I am sure) but he left castles whose creation can only be marveled at.

How these massive castles were constructed, on top of hill and mountains, and in areas that were battle appropriate (hard to reach), is something I cannot comprehend.

How the architects envisioned what we see now, and how these beauties were constructed before any of the technology we have today existed, blows my mind.

More mind blowing... how the rocks, stones, HUGE mouldings got up (WAY up) to where they are now.

For example, the one castle we visited this weekend, the Schloss Neuschwanstein, was King Ludwigs final masterpiece before his drowning in 1886. The castle took about 17 years to build, and was never completed to Ludwigs intended standard. Yet, in that day, there was running water in his bed chambers. They had these intricate tunnels in the walls between each room so the servants could fill up the heaters from the rear, without being seen.
And the craftmanship! The carvings and mouldings and gold and silver plated gifts... all so intricate.

And to see a castle, up on a mountain, with lush green fields all around, you cannot help but imagine what it was like when there were only carriages and horses to carry you across them. Poor messenger boy, running along, and up all the hills. I doubt the stairs had the railings that I used to haul myself up to the castle.

I think it's clear that I find this all fascinating. The power, the empires, the lifestyle, the CLOTHING. I saw Ludwigs mothers bed and all I could think was " I wonder if she would have felt the pea!!!" :)

Naturally, I then dreamt of 1886 when my former self, in a long passed life, was DEFINITELY a princess. DEFINITELY.

So if someone could just point me in the direction of MY castle. I'm sure it's out there somewhere...


(Pics to follow)

These German Folk

They don't drink a lot of tea.
Personally, I think if you don't involve a tea cup (as a permanent fixture to your hand) in your day to day clothes choices, or feel the need to put the kettle at LEAST every hour, then there is a serious problem in your genetic make up.

SERIOUS problem.

I'm not yet sure how this affects their daily functioning, nor how it affects their character... but it MUST!

So this post is for the tea drinkers...
My house, 4pm tomorrow. It's tea time!
Actually, any time, of any day. I will make myself available.

P.s. No, we will not be drinking rooibos, or peppermint, or earl grey, or any other bag of leaves that dares call itself 'tea'. It'll be classic 5 roses, straight up.

p.p.s If any one is in the mood for posting me some tea... pls feel free :)

p.p.p.s. Cheers

Going Back To School

Do you remember that feeling, on the first day of school (or Varsity, or work) where everyone is supposed to have something, and you don't?

You have the thick koki pens instead of the thin ones. One hard-covered-feint-ruled book too few. You don't have the text book. Or, you didn't read the required pages?

I started school today.

I had to learn a bit of German in order to be eligible for my Visa, but I am doing an A2 course. We thought it would look good on my Visa application if I was signed up to continue, and I figured I had crammed so much in in such a short space of time that it would be silly not to carry on.

So off I headed, like a nervous 1st grader, not wanting to be That Late Kid. I arrived, found the classroom, and settled in amongst the few that were already there. It was then that I noticed that they all had this book, most looked as though they'd been working through this book for some time. It was quite an Important Looking Book. Slowly, as the classroom filled up, I noticed more and more people with The Book. I checked my registration certificate and saw no mention of The Book. And I was the only one who didn't have one. By the time the teacher walked in, as I am SURE you can imagine, my face was red, and I was having a mild panic. Did everyone else notice that I was Without-Book? (probably not, but it sure did feel like it).

So, very quietly, I approached the teacher and whispered "Sprechen Sie English?", To which she replied "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?". Of course. This is a German Course Robyn, I thought. So I quickly whispered "I don't have The Book, where can I get it?". "From the course"... aaah, ok.. relief.

Now, either she didn't understand me, or I don't whisper too well, because there was no Book Handing Out Ceremony. Only the brief mention that this was the book that we will be working from, and if you don't have it, you need it by tomorrow. All of this was in German, by the way. It is, as was explained a bit later, a SPEAKING course, and in order to learn German from her, and from each other, we would need to speak ONLY German. So if you are like me, and lose focus every now and then to fly off on a brief day dream, then sorry for youuuuuuuu!!!!!!

This seemed to happen frequently as I tried to figure out how I was going to get this book between the end of the course, the trains I needed to catch to get to work after, work, and then grocery shopping.

The girl next to me didn't seem to mind my peering desperately over her shoulder trying to catch a glimpse of this exclusive Book Owners Club, and not fall behind on my first day, so I think I did ok.

I should probably have paid a little more attention to what the homework assigned actually was, instead of just looking at the gloriously shiny pages.

I got the book (it was actually two that I needed). The problem now, is that I don't know what to do with it. The club ain't so great once you get in! ha ha

So I have packed my shiny books into my backpack. And there will be lunch made in the morning ( the cafeteria line was long today and I have a DOUBLE lesson day!). And off to school I will go.

At least, at the end of these 3 weeks of learning, running for trains, working and exploring, I will be able to speak German in a grammatically correct manner.

Let's just hope I have the confidence to use it!

Survival

There are certain seemingly obvious things that you need to find / note / realise when moving to any new location.

A good doctor, dentist, hairdresser and beautician. A nearby, but decent supermarket, and a good pub.

I've got the food and the pub down, and we're being very careful with our new, very sharp knives. It is also good to note when said supermarkets are open, in case, for example, you were to frequent said pub and not have any hang-over-appropriate food the next day. (There is nothing but Subways open on Sundays).

Then there are the other, not so obvious things.

While an Au Pair Visa is, though not without it's trials, suprisingly easy to obtain, the job itself may leave you wondering what the freakydeak you are doing looking after someone else's kids, instead of working on your own career. The decision to take some time out from working in an office for so long and take a 'gap' year looks rather silly when faced with three very different, very bored children.

Which brings me to my next point.

Starting work as an Au Pair to 3 children in the last two weeks of their very long summer vacation, in the midst of rainy weather that forces everyone indoors, is probably not the best time. This will, no doubt, lead one to above mentioned questions of "What am I DOING?".

Regardless, I appear to have survived my first week of work. This, however, may be an illusion, and I may actually have died a slow, noodle cooking induced death.

p.s. children don't like pepper. just in case you were wondering. and putting some on noodles because you 'thought it would taste nice' is not an appreciated answer!

Living

The novelty wears off slightly as the reality of actual living creeps in.

Work starts, you come home late, there's washing and ironing and cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping and sleep is needed. Playing princesses all day does require actual energy and involvement in the game, unless you are willing to feel the wrath of little girls who feel you're not playing right. The game is especially taxing when you are too big to fit through all the 'doorways' of the jungle gym and have to climb over everything.

The good part is that the living is easy. Things just work. We just do.
The bad part is that if you don't take the time to cycle a little slower to work, or look out the window of the train, or listen to the accents around you, it can be easy to be swept up in the day-to-day tasks and forget exactly where you are.

The other good part is that it only takes one ice cream to remind you that this is Europe. At the end of summer. And the living is eeeaaaassssyyyyyy.