Week One

I wrote this yesterday, and now I'm posting it:

"This first week was great. Overall, I have been very happy and content here. I had so many nerves for no reason. I fully expected the beginning to be very hard, but it has been surprisingly easy for me to acclimate to everything here. I think I really do need to get a phone card soon though, so I can call home (sorry, Mom and Dad, I really do want to talk to you).

Right now, I’m sitting in a hotel restaurant studying with Hilary, the girl from Oberlin who came on our program. I’m so happy she’s here. She seems like the person I will get along with best here. We’re pretty similar in personality; quiet, no-drama, calm. This morning though, we spent an hour looking for this restaurant we really wanted to go to that had waffles. Cuautla is so much bigger than I thought it would be; it’s a legit small city, definitely way bigger than Danbury, for example. When we FINALLY found it, we discovered it was closed Saturdays. How lame. Oh well, this hotel is nice, and there’s no one here, so we can study quietly. We have the test Monday on history and geography, so there’s a lot to prepare for.

Last night was really fun. A bunch of us went out for dinner (pizza), and then went back to my house to watch a movie. My mom is great because she has the perfect balance of motherly-concern, and understanding that I am an adult, and I’m going to go out at night and I can be independent. She was totally fine with me inviting people over, which was really sweet. She’s just so easy to get along with. And I love having siblings. Yesterday my sister Miriam came home for the weekend. She studies psychology at a university in Puebla, so it was fun to chat last night with her. She plans to go into criminal psych or work with kids. It’s really great to be part of a big family, and it’s funny to watch the arguments that my siblings have with Rita. For example, today, Camila told Rita she was going to go to the library all day, and Rita was like “no way…all day? What are you really doing?” It was funny; Camila insisted that she had a big project to do, but we weren’t so sure. Because the public transportation is so easy here, all my siblings (even Ruben, who’s only 13) can go out by themselves and do things with friends, and Rita doesn’t need to drive them around. The combis are so easy, and go all around, so transport here is no big deal. It’s amazing how after only 5 days, I can feel like part of someone else’s family.

Tonight everyone in the program is going to Carmelita’s (a friend of our professor) house, because she is apparently an amazing cook. We’re going to have dinner there and then go straight to a disco to dance. I’m super excited, because it will be the first time we go out like this. Norma (our program director, who’s really sweet and in her 20s) is going to take us for this first time, so I feel really good about it. I feel bad; there are some people on this program who are afraid of everything. They don’t want to take the combis alone, they don’t want to go out at night, they won’t eat anything new. I understand that it’s the beginning of the program, but if you can’t take risks now, what’s the point of going abroad? The point, at least for me, is to push yourself to take risks, to try new things, to meet new people, and to not be afraid to make mistakes. I’ve already messed up about a billion times in Spanish, but who cares? Everyone is really nice about it and understands that I’m learning. The best thing is that it’s already easier in some ways for me to write in Spanish than in English. My mindset is already so Spanish-focused. The grammar we’re doing is SUPER-boring, but oh well, that’s what happens when things get advanced."

Ok, now this is today:
Last night was super fun. It had it's sketchy machismo moments, but overall a blast to be able to go out and dance and have fun. And the whole group went together, which was a really good bonding experience. A few people had a little too much fun, so hopefully no one was sick this morning when they woke up (I obviously wasn't).

I forgot to mention: All the kindergarten public school teachers in Cuautla are on strike right now. It's pretty crazy stuff, and hopefully it won't get as crazy as the Oaxaca tachers strikes of 2 years ago. But it's cool...they're marching in the streets, and the kids are all home driving their parents nuts. I think they're just demanding higher wages, but it's pretty cool to watch.

This is a crazy experience. It's different than I expected it would be, but I guess it's good to have stereotypes disproved, reinforced, and changed. My family continues to be wonderful. I actually have a hard time being productive, because I am always chatting with my mom. She is very talkative, but it has been great practice for my Spanish.

Last night I went to aerobics class, which was crazy. It was super fun, but I didn't get a lot of what was happening. I looked a little silly bouncing around, much bigger than all the other fit little women, but it was ok. Walking about a mile to class everyday is also very good exercise. Ilana and I can take the combi if we want, and we do at night when it's too dark to walk, but the walking is good. The only crappy thing about the walk is all the guys that whistle and say stuff at us while we're walking. It is just not fun to be harrassed all the time. And we have to walk by a military base, which is usually swarming with young men. Ay. Good thing we do it with each other, because if we were alone, it would be much harder to ignore them.

The food has been delicious, and I haven't gotten sick yet (knock on wood!). I have had lots of fresh juice (jugo de naranja), frijoles, arroz, many tortillas, and delicious avacadoes. Mmmm. It's hard to adjust to the eating schedule tho, because we eat a huge meal at 3 when we all (me, my sister, and my brother) get home from school, and then eat smaller meals at breakfast and dinner, which is around 9/10/whenever I want to eat something.

Classes were great yesterday and today. Today we talked about projects (I'm going to be working at the local university with kids my age, I think teaching English. It should be sweeet.) Yesterday we had grammar with Goyo (our prof), and learned lots of new vocabulary. It seems like the advanced grammar won't be that fun, but I guess it's good to learn new stuff. And we did history with Goyo, and learned all about Porfirio Diaz and Benito Juarez. Got to go do homework!

Finalmente, estoy en Cuautla. Wow. The past few days were crazy. My flight got canceled, so they put me on standby for 2 more flights later in the day, but I didn't get to Mexico until 8 PM, when my original flight would have gotten me in at 2:30. Ay dios mio. It was awful to spend 7 hours straight in the Houston airport, but Howard and Patty were there for a little while, which was nice, because they helped me figure out a plan for that night.

So when I got there, there was another girl who was late, so I waited for her, we found each other, and we took a taxi to a hotel in Mexico City at around midnight. It was quite a way to begin the trip. But the hotel was nice, and we finally got some sleep. The next morning, yesterday, we woke up early and took a bus to Cuautla, which was only an hour and a half long, shorter than I expected. The drive was beautiful, and I enjoyed looking at the countryside. When we finally arrived at Casa Sol, the building where we have class, I was so relieved to be there. We spent the rest of the morning going over random program information; the schedule, rules for the house, etc. Then my host mom, Rita, picked me upat Casa Sol and took me to our house. Rita is very nice, and we understand each other very well. She said she was impressed with my Spanish already, so it's good to know that I can basicaly communicate anything I need to. We had a delicious lunch with my younger brother, Ruben, who is very sweet. He is very shy, but nice. Then in the afternoon I went back to Casa Sol and we did a combi (little bus) tour of the city, which was awesome.

Last night I spent a lot of time with my little sister, Camila, who is Gretta's age. She's really sweet and loves futbol, so she talks about that a lot. We watched tv with my mom, which was fun because we watched friends with subtitles, so we all understood the jokes. We chatted about music, family, etc. It wasa nice first night, and I slept really well. Today we drove around Cuautla some more in the combis, and saw the Zocalo, and the Alameda, which are the two main plazas. I really want to write more, but here we are by the side of the pool hanging out, and I think it would be good to socialize with the group. But it seems like I'll have lots of opportunities to update, so that's good news. Hasta luego!

The last week of Germany was wonderful. I got lazy and stopped posting, but I thought a final post was in order.

In the last few days of the trip, we took it easy. We went to the zoo twice, another indoor playground, the carnival, and shopped for new toys. John left on Sunday, so Bonnie and I had our hands more full than before. The zoo was amazing though; much cooler than any American zoos I've been to. You can get really close to the animals, and feed the elephants and the giraffes. And they didn't just have one or two of every animal; they had at least 10 elephants I could see, tons of baboons, lots of bears and tigers. It was great. And the kids could stay for hours without getting tired.

I don't think I ever mentioned the fireworks! Friday night (Friday the 8th) there were fireworks right outside, at St. Pauli church. Apparently they do them every Friday! They were absolutely beautiful, and went on for a good 10 minutes. I was amazed the kids slept through them. It was so wonderful to stand out on the balcony with a perfect view of them. That's the same church that has an 80-something year old man play the trumpet from the top of the tower every day at 9 in the morning and 9 at night. He plays in all four directions so everyone can hear it. It's sad though; it's an unpaid position and no one is inclined to replace him, so the multi-century-old tradition might be lost.

Saturday night (the 9th) was a blast because Bonnie and John invited some friends over to the hotel, and we sat outside on the deck eating pizza and drinking wine. It was nice for me because I put the kids to bed and then I got to hang out with the "adults". Their friends are all pretty young, so it was great to chat with some younger Germans about politics, school, life, etc.

We went to the carnival on the last night of the trip, which was a perfect way to end it. We went on rides, played games, did bumper cars, ate fair food (beer, fries, pretzels), and ended the evening with a ferris wheel ride that overlooked the whole city. The carnival (called the Dom) is really amazing because it's semi-permanent and is there 3 times a year, so it's huge and really well-established.

I was really ready at the end of the trip to come home, and the flight was easy and the kids well-behaved. But the last few days I have really missed the kids a lot! I got pretty attached to them! I am going over tomorrow to hang out one more time before I go to Mexico, but there's a good chance I might get to go back next year, this time to Berlin! That would be a really great opportunity. For now, I am relieved to be done with that trip, and excited to start packing and planning for Mexico. I just spent the weekend in VT with Mom and Dad and Gretta, and they bought me a great travel book about Mexico for an early birthday present. Now I just need to learn all the states and their locations, and master a few hundred years of history! Wish me luck!

The day off was wonderful. I took a great bus tour of the city from the top of a double decker. We went all around the city, and it was partially in English, which was helpful. I walked around a ton, just exploring and getting lost and found again. Then I had dinner at a little cafe overlooking the harbor. The best was sitting across from an 80-something year old woman who was just sitting there sipping a beer. I love the sense of freedom in traveling alone. It's so nice to only be responsible for myself. It's selfish, in a way, but also deserved after the amount of time I've spent with little kids lately. I decided I'm going to apply for the Watson Fellowship (http://www.watsonfellowship.org/site/index.html), because, well, why not? Something about this trip, especially yesterday, has made me crave more time alone in other countries. I love watching people, being anonymous, without responsibility to anyone. I think I could do it for a year.

Anyway, today was fun because it was raining, so Bonnie and I took the kids to an indoor playground (sort of like Leaps and Bounds-Stew, Lindsey, Mom, Dad, and Grets...) and they entertained themselves for 3 1/2 hours. Bonnie and I played with them a bit, but we also just sat and chatted. The more time I spend with her and John, the more I respect them and appreciate them. I was being judgmental for awhile, but I'm really starting to see how hard they try to be good parents, and what a conscious effort they do make. They communicate really well, and although John doesn't spend a ton of time with the kids, you can tell everyone loves each other a lot, which is the most important thing in my book.

This view is incredible. The kids are asleep and I have this nice quiet space all to myself. Bliss. I did realize today though, I'm going to Mexico in 2 weeks! Yikes! I need to start getting in that mindset. At least I finished the book....that's a relief, and it was actually really interesting.

Hamburg

Hi all,

I am finally posting an entry right after I write it! We are in Hamburg, overlooking the water from a VERY nice hotel. The city is beautiful; it has more bridges than Amsterdam, and there's water everywhere. There is a lake in the middle of the city, the streets are wide, and there is plenty of fresh air. It's good to know there are cities like this in the world. Yesterday we went to the model train museum (don't worry Dad, I took lots of pictures) which was amazing. We had to wait in line for over an hour, but it was worth it. There were models of various cities and countryside settings, all complete with thousands of tiny little people and amazing details.

Today I get the day off; Bonnie and John took the kids to visit Bonnie's great aunt. It will be nice to have some alone time and explore the city. I am planning on taking a bus tour of the city, and I will be sure to take lots of pictures.

That's all for now, from the land of beer and pretzels!

The last few days have been perfect, exactly how I would like to vacation with my kids. We have woken up late (around 10 or 11), hung out at the house doing puzzles and reading, and then spent the afternoon at the beach. There is a nice little beach here in front of the lake, probably about 100 feet long, with lots of sand. There are usually about 40-50 people there hanging out. It’s perfect for the kids because they can play by themselves and hang out while we (me, John, and Bonnie) lay on the beach and read or sunbathe. One of us is usually playing with Oscar in the sand or swimming with Olivia, but we take turns. It’s been so nice, because I’m essentially just a third parent helping them. They don’t leave me completely in charge a lot, and are making sure I get free time to hang out during the day. (For example, right now, Bonnie and John are napping with Oscar and Olivia is watching a movie on Bonnie’s computer). They treat me respectfully, and don’t cut me a rough deal in anything. I feel more like a friend than an employee, which is a good relationship.

At night we all go have dinner together, usually with Veronica (Bonnie’s aunt), and Friet, Adrien, and Jasper (Bonnie’s cousins, all brothers in their 20s/30s) and then I take the kids and put them to bed. The past two nights, Olivia has gotten scared or lonely and has slept in my bed, which I really don’t mind. I have my own room with a sweet princess bed (curtains around the outside) so I don’t mind sharing with an adorable 7 year old. It’s been really interesting, because I have found my expectations to be flipped. I thought Oscar would be easy, and Olivia would be the difficult one. On the contrary, Olivia has been nothing but sweet and polite to me. We have asked her, on many occasions, to be mature and adult-like, and she has risen to the occasion beautifully. She shares well with Oscar, and tries to be the bigger person whenever conflicts arise. I can imagine it’s hard to share the Mom you had to yourself for 4 years. Oscar has been very whiny and needy. There’s nothing surprising about that; he’s 3 and I understand that it’s hard for him to trust me. He loves his mom, and she feels bad when she leaves him with me, but he really needs to learn that he can’t have her at every moment. It’s a constant struggle because we have fun and get along during the day, but he can also be cranky “don’t talk to me” or “not you. I want mama”.

This is supposed to be a travel blog, not a nanny blog. Sorry for getting sidetracked. It’s been hard though, being here without communication with the outside world. I’m writing this in Word, and I’ll post it when we can get online. Germany itself is beautiful though. We’ve been in this same town since Monday (today is Friday), so I don’t have much to report on, but it’s quaint. Today for lunch we went to the Bider (Beaver) café, overlooking the lake, and enjoyed some beer with sprite (very yummy) and lunch. There is a nice path that goes around the lake, and we have seen many families riding their bikes around. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that we all rented bikes to use to get back and forth to the beach. It’s so nice because the schloss is right in town. So it’s about a 10-minute walk to the beach, but would take the kids longer. So we ride bikes to keep it short and fun, and it works well. I forgot how much I enjoy riding a bike. And I just feel so, well, European when doing so. Oh! I forgot to mention the schpaghetti ice. I’m not sure if that’s how you spell it, but that’s how it sounds. Apparently they have them in every ice cream shop in Germany. It’s what it sounds like…vanilla ice cream (spaghetti) with a raspberry sauce (marinara) and white chocolate (shredded cheese) on top. It was so wunderbar! Haha. I love being here; it’s been so nice. I am very much looking forward to Hamburg, where we go Monday! Hooray!

First day

The flight was great. I never knew it’s possible to have a tablecloth on your tray, be served ice cream, and lie almost completely flat while you drown out the sensory overload with an eye covering and earplugs. Business class is luxurious. Although I did feel like quite the imposter; a guy had to help me load my tray back into its space ship worthy compartment. Anyway, it’s nothing I’m ever going to pay the extra money for myself, but it was nice to have the extra legroom. Thanks Edelmans.

It’s so beautiful! Oh my goodness. The country here is so perfect; it’s quiet, calm, and lovely. I’m sitting in the living room of the apartment we’re staying in, and I can hear birds chirping out the window and the sounds of horses and farm machinery. Driving from Hamburg to Gartow (where we are now) there were hundred of wind turbines creating energy. It seems to be getting big here; Bonnie’s cousin Friet, who is the earl of the schloss, (he’s so young, probably in his early 30s) works in developing alternative energy sources for small businesses. We stopped at a grocery store on the way and picked up the necessary breads, meats, sweets, juices, etc. John and I had a funny moment where the woman was asking us how many bags we had and we both looked at each other in complete confusion until Bonnie rescued us. I feel stupid whenever I go somewhere and people need to adapt to my cultural background instead of accommodating theirs. Oh well. It’s a phenomenon bigger than me.

We had lunch at the schloss with Friet, his younger brother Jasper, and a friend. It was lively conversation about hunting wild boars and bulls of a neglectful neighbor. Needless to say, we’re having a barbeque tonight…just the right time to start eating meat again. The schloss is beautiful. I haven’t seen the whole thing yet, but it just feels so old and full of history. The stairs are lined with paintings of family members dating back to Friet’s great-great-lots of greats grandfather who, in the 1600s, helped the King of Hanover become the King of Britain, and received loads of wealth in return.

This afternoon Olivia and I walked to town while John, Bonnie, and Oscar took naps. We spent about half an hour in a large toy store, without any money (a good plan), and walked the rest of the main street, which consists of a couple restaurants, a bike shop, an appliance store, an ice cream shop, a bank, a pharmacy, and a little gift shop. Very cliché. Oh, I forgot the liquor store, filled with a window of different beer varieties. Exactly like my vision of Germany. It has filled all the stereotypes so far. Then I got to sleep while they all went for a swim at the lake. And now they just got home; I guess it’s time to go barbeque! Auf weidersen!