January 11/Monday did not begin as I expected. I was up entirely too early to take the train to Erlangen for my German class. I woke up at 6:15am to leave the house at 7:25am, to catch the train at 7:36am, to arrive in Erlangen at 8:13am, to finally begin class at 8:30am. As you can see, it's a two hour ordeal to get to class once I wake up. The train ran a few minutes late and I had to rush to class from the train station. I walked inside and there was only one other person in the room, a British chick named Helen. Usually my teacher is there by the time I arrive, so I was surprised to see the room otherwise empty. Helen asked me if I had seen the sheet on the door, which I hadn't. The sheet informed us that our class had been cancelled for the day. I was less than pleased, as I hadn't even wanted to come to class in the first place due to my lack of sleep the night before. I was about to leave when Helen asked if I wanted to go get some coffee with her. She apparently had another class after our German class and had to stay regardless. I said yes. I'm not sure exactly how old Helen is, but she's in her early 30s. We waited a little to see who else would show up. Maria, a Spanish girl in her mid 20's, walked in. She was also surprised to see the class was cancelled, but decided to get coffee with us. We waited another 10 minutes or so until we left for the cafe. Nadzeya, a girl in her late 20s from Belarus, showed up at the cafe a few minutes later. The four of us sat in the cafe and spoke German for the normal duration of our class. It was surprisingly nice. We all come from such different backgrounds and have chosen vastly different paths in life. I was glad I decided to stay. I didn't expect to enjoy myself so much, especially speaking German. I often find it quite awkward when a group of non-native speakers all sit around and speak German. I guess we are all proficient enough that we could easily understand each other. I caught my normal train back to Nürnberg and spent a few hours shopping downtown. Pretty much all of the shops were having post-holiday sales. I popped into a couple shops whose items I had been needing/wanting. I didn't buy much, but my proudest purchase was a scarf for 7,50€ that was originally priced at 45€. Not bad, eh? I finally made it home around 1:30pm. I spent most of the rest of the day being lazy. I organized some things in my room, caught up on some tv shows, took care of some odds and ends, wrote some blog posts (ha!), and generally hung out. I didn't have to work. It was nice to have a half day of rest before my work week began.
Tuesday was my first "normal" work day in nearly a month. I worked my hour in the morning, went back to sleep for two hours, and then finally got up to be productive. I showered, made lunch, and set out to run errands. I wanted a few things from the grocery store and I also had to pick up some things we needed. I came home, dropped off the groceries, and set back out to go to the huge shoe store, Mücke, who was also having sales. I had my eyes on a pair of shoes awhile back but didn't want to drop the money for them. I was happy to see that they were on sale for nearly 25€ off the original price, putting them in my price range. I got home an hour before HM got home with the kids. I used the time to do some last minute chores and to relax a bit more. HM was in a rush to get out the door at 5pm to catch her flight. She left for a business trip. I was with the kids until HD got home from work. Two cried, as he normally does when one of HP leaves, despite the fact that One was there. HD got home an hour and a half after HM left. The three of us ate dinner together. The night was pretty calm. The kids were their usual active selves.
Wednesday was my "hard" day of work this week. I worked my usual hour in the morning with HD. One was being really mean to me. HD made a point to tell him that I belong here with them and that he needs to get over it. It was disheartening for me to see One act this way, but it was reassuring to hear HD's reaction to it. Though I typically feel like I am an undeniable part of the family, there are still moments when I feel like an imposter. These moments typically occur when HP are arguing (to be fair, this is not often), or when the kids are making it clear that they don't want me around (this is much more common). Every time the kids are being difficult and HP make a point to tell the kids that I am here to stay, it gives me the motivation to stay positive. Anyways, HD took the kids to school and then came back and worked from home until he had to leave to catch his flight. I chose to forgo my morning nap to get ready and head into the city. I spent a few hours in the city, walking around and popping in and out of shops. I eventually made my way to the huge shoe store near us. I bought another pair of shoes I had my eyes on, then walked the two miles home in the rain. Sounds crazy, but I wanted to make sure to stretch my legs before I came home and had to take care of the kids all evening. HD left the house around 1:30pm to catch his flight. I left at 3:30pm to pick up the kids from school. We came home, played, watched tv, painted, ate dinner, got ready for bed, and then I put them to bed. That's right, I had the kids alone from 4pm until they went to sleep, and then some. It was the first time I was alone with them from school until bedtime. I think HP were a little apprehensive about it, afraid it would be too much for me. Though exhausting, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, especially because the kids weren't being any more difficult than usual. HM got home from her business trip around 10:30pm, and I was finally off duty.
Thursday was a good day. I worked the hour in the morning and skipped my morning nap. I showered, cooked lunch, and then set out for the city in search of a particular shop. I bought a book a few months ago with a list of 70 things to do in Nürnberg, as well as 50 or so things to do in Erlangen and Fürth. Most of them aren't the typical tourist destinations. I've only made it to a few places on the list, and I had promised myself that I would start on it again this week. Just before noon, I made my way to the train stop, running into the bakery for some bread first. Once downtown, I took my time. I walked into both of the big churches in the old town. I've been in them countless times, but each time somehow manages to feel like the first. I walked down to the Hauptmarkt, which is where the Christmas markets were set up. Last time I was there (early this week), they were still breaking down all the old stands. This time around, all the old stands were down and there was another small fruit/vegetable market set up. I walked around some more until I finally found the shop, which was tucked in an alley. The shop was named "chocolat" and was, as you have guessed, a fine chocolate shop. I eat chocolate every single day. It wasn't as big of a store as I thought it would be, but they had countless brands and flavors of chocolate, including some house made goodies. I spent 20 minutes walking around and looking. I finally settled on two kinds to buy, and was on my way. I slowly made my way home. I spent the next two hours at home relaxing before HM got home with the kids. Once they got home, One and I baked some muffins for Two's birthday party at school the next day. We all had dinner together, and then HM left for her dance class. I had to put the kids to sleep. Two was being really whiney and HM almost didn't go, but I convinced her that I could handle it. The night with them was easy. Two cried as he does when HP leave, but otherwise it was an easy night with them. HM got home around 10pm and HD around midnight. I skyped with a friend and then got in bed early.
I can't believe January is already half way over! Where does the time go?!
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