February till May

Hmmm...exactly 3 months since my last blog post - I blame my social life, ultimate frisbee, new church and spring!

During the past three months I have:

- Spent a weekend in Saarbrücken, Germany playing with the guys in an indoor frisbee tournament

- Received lovely letters and packages from all round the world to brighten my days

- Missed two weddings in Cape Town :(

- Started going to Hillsong Church in Konstanz

- Celebrated the youngest boy's 4th birthday, host father and host mother's bdays too

- Partied in town for "Fasching"

- Gone bowling (still don't know how to bowl properly!)

- Played in the last bit of snow before spring arrived

- Met some more au pairs in my area and organised weekly Wednesday night cocktails

- Spent a week with the kids and Grandfather alone, while host parents went to San Diego for a conference

- Travelled to Tübingen for a one day indoor frisbee tournament

- Spent Easter in Geneva, Switzerland with Toni, Amy and Uncle Nigel and met my official Swiss family

- Travelled to Ilmenau, Germany for our first outdoor tournament for the weekend

- Toni visited for 2days

- My roomie from San Diego, Heather, visited for 5days 

And on Friday I leave for another frisbee tournament in Como, Italy...where I play AGAINST my current German team that I have been training with for the last 4 months and play, rather, with Johannesburg...very excited.

Here are some photos to go with the last couple months:

Weekend with the boys tournament

Fasching 

My church...it's a bit different to Christ Church, but awesome all the same

New Au Pair friends from Czech Republic and Mongolia

Hanging out in Geneva with family for Easter

Playing in the snow

My epic German team, "Team Südsee"

Toni visiting

Heather visiting

Eurotrip (looonnggg blog)

Again, it’s been ages since my last blog and I apologise for being so crappy at it. I only generally write when I have something exciting to tell or share, otherwise my life is pretty normal the rest of the time and no one needs to hear about that. This blog though, is going to be a day-by-day account (because I did so much each day, which I just cannot summarise) about my trip that I did in Dec/Jan...It’s loooooonnggg:)

I left Konstanz really early on 23 December to take a 5hr train to Obernburg, where the Klimmer family live. They are the family I came to when I was on exchange in Grade 10 and the family I visited again when on my gap year. Amy (kind of like my second sister) had already travelled to the Klimmers 2days before and had kindly paid for my ticket up too. Once I got there, we decorated the tree and made ourselves pizza in their pizza ovens. Germans celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve so most of the table, food and preparation was done on the morning of the 24^th. We then went to an early evening Church service and then went home to feast. We sang carols before opening presents and then all the girls took part in some crazy photos. On the 25^th, we woke up late and had crepes for lunch because the Klimmers also own their own crepe pan. We celebrated again with a big meal for dinner and with the other grandparents and cousins at their house. More carols, presents, wine and singstar. The 26^th was spent recovering from our food comas and chilling. We stayed up playing detective games till midnight to wait until Franzi’s birthday. At 11am the next day we celebrated her birthday with the whole family and ate pretzel, weisswurst  and beer. I then packed my bags and for dinner, some of Franzi’s friends came too. We only landed up going to bed at about 2am, which was a bit stupid since I was getting up in 5hrs time for my train.

On 28^th I left on my train to pick up Felix in Munich Airport. I literally didn’t know how I was going to keep all that excitement in me for 4hrs before I would see him. God knew, because I landed up sitting next to a really interesting guy and we chatted the whole way! He even bought me a coffee and gave me some foreign currency in Riyals (I think?!), so time went a lot faster. I trekked across the airport and waited about 30mins for Felix to come through and for us to finally start our travels. We successfully made the 8hr trek across Germany into France by train, leaving us really exhausted by now. We were greeted in Breaute Beuzeville by Amy, Terry and Eric at midnight. We got treated to some scallops and wine in Eric’s amazing Chateau before flopping into bed. The 29^th was sadly the only full day we got to spend with them so we walked around the area and went into town too. We ate an amazing lunch, visited friends for tea and then did a last minute grocery shop so that we didn’t have to buy food in Paris. A huge pot of mussels was eaten at dinner before we packed our bags ready for Paris in the morning.

Sunday 30^th we woke up suuuuper tired but excited for a full day in Paris, especially since it was my first time. After our 2hr train and metro ride, we eventually found our couchsurfer’s house but not before I walked over a bridge and started screaming when I first saw the Eiffel tower, haha. We got settled into our place and walked to the Eiffel tower, took pictures but didn’t go up because the line was too long. We walked around the gardens there and took the metro to the Louvre, but decided not to go in since it was closing soon. We carried on wandering around and rode on a huuuuge ferris wheel, just like our date on Christmas day in 2011 at the Cape Town Waterfront. We then decided to test our legs even further and walked the Champs-elysees, which had a Christmas market on the whole way. Felix tasted Gluhwein for the first time and then promptly peed against a tree, while I had to keep look-out because you had to pay for the public loos. Hilarious. We had dinner and a crepe and then walked to the Arc de Triomphe. We just missed going up by a few minutes so instead took photos and then used to the metro to get to the business district of Paris, where the huuuuge modern "La Defense" was. Finally, we took the metro home, had tea with Tristi and her friends and fell asleep to her music from nature.  Another early day on 31^st and we headed straight to the Louvre again but decided against it when we saw the line was hideously long. Felix found a good deal on roasted chestnuts and we walked to the Notre Dame and then to the Shakespeare and Co. Bookshop afterwards. Felix peed around a corner again but this time I refused to be the look-out. We walked to Pantheon and then had lunch at Mc Donald’s and catching up on warmth, wifi and toilet. We walked through Jardin du Luxembourg and chilled at the water. We bought some baguettes and went home to make a picnic for us for midnight. We then took the metro to Moulin Rouge and ate a crepe before it started raining and we headed to Sacre Coeur. There was still a church service going on and we got to go inside and take shelter from the rain. We did get shushed by the woman in front of us for talking though, lol. We went outside and waited for New Years with a whole bunch of other people. Fireworks went off and we drank some wine and then started on our journey home, which turned into a disaster. All transport was free for new years so all the trains were really full and rowdy. We jumped off at a stop when a man in front of us puked all over the floor and then got told that all metros have stopped now because of over-crowding and it was becoming dangerous. So, at 1.30am and without an umbrella, Felix and I started our 45min walk home in the rain, beginning the year on an epic note.

New Year’s day we had to be up really early to catch our international train at 7.30am, and we were already bushed from the night before. We eventually arrived in Konstanz and chilled with my family and had some cocktails with them and their friends that evening. From 2^nd-4^th January I had to look after the kids during the day, but in the evenings we went to the hot thermal pools, had a wander and some ice cream in the city centre and then Felix treated me to a dinner in town at a Mexican restaurant. On the 5^th we chilled all day and watched “Love Actually” and then had raclette for dinner. On the 6^th we took a train to Zurich and went into the Zurich museum, looked at the Polybahn, walked along the river and saw the Grossmunster (Church). We also found a hill that overlooked the river and took some cool photos there before walking the pretty street of Augistinergasse. We bought some cheap, reduced food at the supermarket (like typical student travellers do) and then hopped on our train home to Konstanz, which is only 1,5hrs away. We came across a parade happening in the city centre and stayed to watch some music and display of some sort with really loud, large whips being smacked around?!

On Monday, it was a normal working day for me and the kids going back to school, so Felix left that afternoon to visit Freddie in Augsburg. Tuesday was just a normal working day and Wednesday 9^th I left on a train to Augsburg too. Freddie’s grandparents made us lunch and tea later and then we went into town for the evening. We played some pool and then went home to sort out our snow day we wanted to have the next day. Up until then, it hadn’t snowed once since Felix had arrived, so we were determined to enjoy it somewhere. On Thursday 10^th we took a train to Oberstdorf and then took the cable car up to the first station stop on the mountain. We paid for 2hrs of use for ski things and tried the ski bikes first on the slopes. At first it was really scary for me but soon we were flying all around the place and making such fools of ourselves. We also looked a bit out of place since we didn’t really have proper ski clothes, I was wearing jeans for one, and Freddie had normal shoes on. We had so much fun and then decided to upgrade to the ski lift to tackle bigger slopes. After the ski lift hit me on the back and went over my head three times, while everyone in the line just stood and glared at me, I eventually got it under my bum and was lifted up the hill. Felix and Freddie also didn’t have much luck the first time and also had trouble getting off the lift at the top, which proved to be equally hilarious. It wasn’t too cold and only started snowing near the end of our playtime, and then we took the cable car down again and our train home to Augsburg. We packed our bags, showered and had dinner and a nap before Felix and I left again on a train to Munich Airport again at midnight. We arrived and slept on benches till his check-in time and then said a teary goodbye as I left on my train and he left on his flight home to SA. With hardly any sleep, it made the 5hr train ride to Freiburg that much faster and easier. Franzi picked me up from the station and we walked around the town, saw their famous church and went up the hill to see a view of Freiburg. We had lunch and chilled at home before watching “Silver Linings Playbook” at the cinema that evening. On Saturday 12^th I slept late while Franzi had to work and then we went to her volleyball game in another town. I then took my train home to Konstanz and couldn’t believe my biiiiig travelling trip was now all over and it had flown by!

Snow Time!

It's been aaaaages since my last blog post, I think about 2months. Loads has happened between October and now, like travelling to home and back. Here is a piece of what I started writing about my first impressions when I arrived at my family in September:

"After my lovely greeting at the train station, we walked around the harbour and had an icecream on the water’s edge. We then strolled through the city centre before returning home and finally unpacking my bag for the last time! Greatest feeling when you know you can finally settle in somewhere and call it home for at least a year. We had a yummy braai outside that evening, where I realised Germany is a little colder than Italy in the evenings...haha. We toasted to my arrival and I practised memorising the kids’ names in my head. They are: Merle (8yrs old), Sinje (7yrs old), Arjen (5yrs old) and Lenjo (nearly 4yrs old)....not your typical German names! I was also quite nervous that my German was going to be hideous and that everyone might be super difficult to understand...complete opposite actually. I understood absolutely everything and it was a complete breeze with trying to talk, compared to the terrible Italian I’d been speaking the last 3months. On Sunday we went to Radolfzell, a town near to Konstanz and we chilled on the lake, canoeing, swimming, tanning etc. The first week I just spent sorting out admin and getting used to driving on the right side of the road. The area is really beautiful and safe, the children play outside in the road and most of their friends live a couple houses away from each other, there are many parks and pathways to go for runs in the mornings, the University is around the corner with loads of things to do there and sport to play, the bus stop is near my house and takes just 20mins to get to the centre of town."

All of that is still true, except that my town is a lot colder this time round, with it snowing nearly every day now. My kids are still wonderful and we built our first snow man together last week. I have to borrow all my host mom's snow gear since I have nothing of a sort to keep me from freezing to death. Driving is a bit more hazardous as I have to get used to driving on slippery snow and scraping it all off the car before starting. We can also go skiing on a hill round the corner from our house and may even go to a ski resort for a weekend soon. 

My frisbee group has gotten bigger since the University term started here and I've found a couple people who have been to Cape Town and some who recognise me from the Worlds tournament in Japan. I've been a bit less motivated to go out and see the town properly and make some new friends, since its seriously too darn cold for me to function outside...but I'm slowly getting over that. I've been knitting (like a typical granny) a couple headbands and scarves for myself this winter and planning mine and Felix's trip to Paris. He arrives in less than 3weeks, so that's kept me pretty busy and excited for the time being. I still miss home quite a bit, since it's Christmas month and I won't be home, but luckily my Christmas plans are pretty darn fun too...(more on that in a future post). 

Last 3 weeks in 'la dolce vita'

When I arrived at “Pieschera del Garda,” I was greeted with the biggest and most enthusiastic bunch of Italian mothers and children I have ever received in my whole 3years at ACLE. There was music, flags, loads of people and happy faces waiting for us tutors, as we all got off the train looking a bit confused and lost as to if we had arrived at the correct place. We all headed to a gelateria to get to know each other, since there were 10 of us all working together this week. I got placed in a room with an American girl called Jess, in a villa that overlooked a vineyard. We woke up to the most amazing view every morning and were waited on, hand and foot, by the Italian nonna who cleaned and washed and prepared absolutely everything for us. 

I had a class of 10 gorgeous kids, who were really easy and fun to teach, and we worked on tables outside in the garden all week. Italy was having a heat wave that week, so we had our camp meetings at the public pool every day after school. Our tutor dinner was at a restaurant that had a dance floor, so I hit the dance floor within seconds of hearing a song I liked. The camp show was at 9pm on the Friday night, with lights, cameras, important people and lots of hyper kids. It was a huge success and very sad to have such an amazing camp come to an end. I really enjoyed all the tutors, camp structure, kids, area and directors running the camp.

On Saturday morning, I then got transferred with Nick to a camp in Monza for 2weeks. The first week it was just us two with 28kids, but luckily the second week we got 2more tutors when the camp increased to 49kids! We made rockets, volcanoes, dances, egg drop and a recycling fashion show. My class was a bit bigger this time, with 17kids and some difficult characters, but I had really good helpers and directors who took most of the stress away. My host family took me to their holiday house in Balzio, where we slept the night because it was cooler.  

We also saw the famous Monza park and villa, which was really beautiful. The following weekend we went to “val bodengo” to go ‘canyoning,’ which was the craziest thing I have ever done in Italy so far. We rock climbed, then jumped off waterfalls 8m high, then tobogganed down rocks and swam under them etc for 3hours. Here is a video of what sorts of things you do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QB2g-M4Ngo

I visited Toni and Amy on the weekend in Treviglio to pick up my bags and see them one last time before we all changed countries. It was pretty hilarious cycling to the train station with my huge bag on the back, while the other two shared one bicycle...while it was raining pretty hard. I changed host families for the 2^nd week and had to buy a new trolley bag since all my clothes didn’t fit into my travel bag anymore. The directors, helpers and tutors all went out on Thursday night to Monza, where all the Grand Prix festivities were happening since the races were taking place that weekend. 

Friday we all went to a bar for our last drink together and then I bumped into a South African on the way home and we chatted for a bit about Rooibos, boerewors, where we lived in Cape Town and Table Mountain. Friday evening I went out for gelato and a beer with my host sister, which was to be my last Italian gelato for a while. I continued packing Saturday morning, with my bags weighing a final total of 44kgs...luckily I was being driven to Milano Centrale station so my only train change was in Zurich. The train took just under 4hrs to Zurich and then another hour to Konstanz. I eventually arrived at about 4pm and was greeted by my family with four lovely kids holding pieces of paper with my name on it :) 

Lugano, Switzerland

Side note: I apologise in advance if my writing is terrible, I’ve realised my English is deteriorating as I learn to speak other languages, simplifying and losing my own native language at the same time!!

After arriving in Rome and sleeping in the central station, I finally caught my train to Piacenza, near Milan, where I was picked up by one of my Italian families. I was taken home, cared for and looked after, for the first time since the beginning of July – I almost shed a tear that evening when I realised I didn’t have to worry where I left my belongings, where my next meal was coming from and if I had enough money to afford the next day. I was sad to have left Asia, but I was definitely enjoying this family time. I caught up on my sleep and then we all got in the car and headed to Lugano, Switzerland. Lugano is still very much Italian and all the shops and people still speak Italian there. We spent a week there just chilling, taking things easy and hanging out in the sun. 

 

We went into town, walked along the lake, had gelato, went out for dinner, walked round some old castles at night and went to a water park with epic slides. I also learnt a new game called “diabolo” and got given my very own one at the end of the week – it’s pretty crazy to try master the tricks...so far I can only get a good speed going and throw it in the air. Haha.  

We headed back on Friday evening, and then went for a final breakfast in front of the duomo on Saturday morning before I was transferred to my new ACLE camp in “Pieschera del Garda.” 

I also then realised that I had left my camera in Switzerland...such a pro thing for a traveller to do. Besides that, I was well rested and relaxed to start another 3weeks with ACLE :)