Friday was a busy day. I tagged along with HM and M to a big clothing sale at a warehouse. It took us 2 hours to get there because of detours for construction. We only stayed about an hour, as the sale was much smaller than they anticipated. It took less than an hour and a half to get back. We left the house at 9:30am and didn't get back until about 2:30pm. HD arrived shortly thereafter with the kids. Him and I took One to his soccer class while HM stayed with Two. We aren't allowed to stay during the class because it distracts the kids, so we came home and then HM, Two and I left to do some grocery shopping. I worked for another hour when we got back. I was finished working at 5pm. I then got ready for my big night out meeting other au pairs.
As previously stated, I had made plans to attend an Au Pair/FSJ meeting in Erlangen. It takes 30 minutes to get from our train station to the central train station in Erlangen (taking the local/slow train). For geographical reference, we live on the far east side of Nürnberg. Erlangen is north and slightly west of Nürnberg. When we drive the car from here to drop the kids off at their school in Erlangen, it only takes 15 minutes. Luckily I have the year-long train/bus/tram pass that extends all the way to Erlangen, so it's really easy for me to get there and doesn't require me to pay. I arrived in Erlangen 20 minutes before the meet up was scheduled and made my way over to the Volkshochschule on foot. This is also where my German as a Foreign Language class will take place. Upon immediate arrival, there were only three other people there. My heart sank. To my delight, over the next 10 minutes another seven people ended up turning up. Most were also au pairs, but one was a student and a couple others are doing something called a Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr (FSJ) here. These are the countries of the other people in attendance: Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Korea, Nepal, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, and Albania. Their ages ranged from 18 to 27. Quite a mix, as you can see. The people from Spain and Mexico were guys and the rest were girls. It was naturally a bit awkward at first. It got much better as the evening progressed. The woman who coordinated it had only brought information in German with her. A couple of the people couldn't speak any German. She couldn't speak English well, so I was the interpreter/translator. Not kidding, I actually translated a piece of paper she brought and then also interpreted a few times when she spoke. In the beginning she told us a little about Erlangen, gave us some information pamphlets, and told us about what we'd be doing during the monthly meetings. We then did a speed dating type of thing to get to know each other. It worked wonderfully and I had really great conversations with mostly everyone (except the people who couldn't speak German and who could barely speak English). We ended up being there half an hour later than we what was planned. Eight of us went out for a drink afterwards. We spoke a German/English mixture the whole night. We didn't stay out too long, as several of them had to catch the last bus back home around 11:30pm. I really enjoyed myself. It was fun to be around so many people who completely understand my situation on many levels.
I know I've said this before, but everyone is always really impressed with my German when they hear that I'm American. Yeah, my German is good. Would I say it's better than the other advanced German learners I met Friday night? No, not necessarily. It's just that 1) Americans don't bother learning languages and, 2) I guess when they do learn them, they leave much to be desired. I think everyone I talked to on Friday night asked me where I learned German so well and then how long I had been studying it. They also commented on my lack of a pronounced American accent when I speak. I guess now is when I should stop doubting my German skills. All the signs seem to point to me being much better than I give myself credit for.
Saturday I was supposed to go on a 15k hike with a group of people through MeetUp.com. The high was only 45F and everything was still wet from all the rain Friday. I'd have been gone from the house from about 9:45am until 5:30pm. I would also be spending that entire day with ~25 strangers. In the end I decided that I didn't care to be outside, wet, cold, and with so many strangers for so long. I don't really have any good hiking clothes, just running gear, and none of it is particularly warm. If I wasn't enjoying the company or if I was too cold, there would be no way to leave and go home until the hike was over. Some of the same people will be meeting next weekend for dinner, so I eventually decided to pass on the hike in lieu of dinner the following weekend. It's a good thing I didn't go, as HD was sick. HM would have been on her own with the kids all day while trying to get some chores done. I worked from about 9:30am to 1:30pm. We raked leaves and did some other work outside and then took all the leaves and yard clippings to the recycling center. I also fed the kids lunch while HM went back with more stuff to the recycling center. There's no way she would have gotten everything done so quickly with HD being sick if I hadn't been there to help. I could tell that HM was really grateful I stayed and lessened her load.
We all went over to the neighbors for dinner. T's mom has been in town and her and M cooked dinner. It was probably one of the most "German" meals I've had since I was here. It consisted of Buletten (German "meatballs" - ground beef with diced onions, bread crumbs, salt, etc, and then pan fried), a cabbage salad, and a potato salad. I left after we ate to meet up with some of the au pairs from Saturday night. There were only 5 of us this time. We went to a bar and hung out there for a few hours. I can feel some actual friendships blossoming! When I was ready to head home, I made my way over to the train station. For whatever reason and much to my surprise, all the trains were cancelled. There was not a single train coming or going from the train station in Erlangen. The next bus from Erlangen wasn't for an hour and a half and it would take another hour and a half to get home. I had no choice but to call HP to come get me. HD picked me up even though he was sick. I think I said thank you about seven times. He finally said, "hey, we're here for you when you need us."
Sunday was exactly as most of my Sundays have been. I slept in, exercised, skyped, and just generally lazed around.
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