Kissenschlag!

As you have noticed, it's been awhile since I posted. The past two weeks have been more or less a vacation for me. I decided to take the time to have a little break from blogging, as I wasn't working and therefore couldn't report on my daily life with the kids.

My host family left the morning of Saturday, August 13 for their summer vacation. They got a camper and went north somewhere. I had a couple days to myself before a friend came to visit. One of my best friends from university, Emily, got here on Sunday, August 14. She flew into Munich and then took a bus up to Nürnberg. We spent a few days in town. I showed her to the sights and introduced her to all my friends. We had fun and it was cool to show her where I live, what I do, and who I spend time with. On Wednesday, August 17, we caught a bus down to Salzburg, Austria. We were there until Friday. It was absolutely gorgeous. This was my second time in Austria and I was still in awe at the beauty. On Friday afternoon we caught a bus up to Munich. Emily flew out of Munich and wanted to see the city before she left. We were only there about a day and a half. She left early Sunday morning. I caught a bus back to Nürnberg Sunday morning as well.

I still had another week off after Emily left. I hung around Nürnberg, hung out with my friends, took care of some errands, did some chores around the house, and just generally relaxed. It was nice to have time at home without the family to recharge my batteries. This was my first extended period of time off since I arrived. I've had a few days off in a row throughout this past year, but never more than 4-5 days at a time. This two weeks was much needed.

HP and the kids got back late the evening of Friday, August 26. I didn't see the kids until the next morning. Both seemed happy to see me, especially One. He would get excited whenever I walked into the room, wanted me to sit by him at mealtimes, and would make a point to find me to play with him. It was all very adorable. It was cool to see that he actually missed me. Two was also excited to see me, but not nearly as much as One.

I worked a few hours yesterday, August 27. I watched the kids and helped HP get everything unpacked. It was all a fairly chill day, and I even finished up with work early. Tomorrow begins my last few days of work with the family. The kids school is still closed and HP aren't back at work yet, so I'm not sure what's in store.

Na das ist doch schon mal was.

August 8/Monday was a very long day of work. Two was sick, so he had to stay home with me. HD also left the day before for a work trip, so it was just HM and I. Two and I hung out and watched the Olympics in the morning. Lately he's been really wanting to watch tv when he's left at home, whereas before he'd rather have played in his room. I think it has to do with his age. His concentration is improving the older he gets. I put him down for a nap shortly before 1pm, and HM got home about 15 minutes later. She wanted to give me a break since she needed me to work until 8pm and she didn't want me working from 7am to 8pm. I took the opportunity to relax and take a nap. HM's mom, Oma, arrived that evening as well. Originally, HM and HD were both supposed to be out of town Monday through Thursday and Oma and I would stay with the kids. For whatever reason, HM's trip was cancelled, but Oma came anyways. HM dropped One off with me and left with Oma and Two for swim class. One and I went an hour later. I dropped One off with HM and picked up Oma and Two. I brought them both home, got Two ready for bed, and then I was finished working. I got ready and headed into town. I had an appointment to meet someone about an apartment. The apartment viewing went well, though I ended up not getting it. I went to see Fiona when I was finished, but I just stayed long enough to chat for a few minutes. I was home by 11pm.

Tuesday was busy. I worked an hour in the morning to get everyone out the door. Oma went with HM and the kids to Erlangen. She spend the day hanging out and shopping in Erlangen. I got showered and went to the Ausländerwesen (foreigners office) to ask some questions. Back in July I applied online for an extension on my visa. Last Friday I got a letter in the mail with a list of things I needed to bring to the foreigners office for the extension. I had a couple of questions about what I needed, so I went to ask. On my way there, a girl stopped me in the subway to ask me about her subway ticket. I didn't end up waiting too long at the office, thankfully. I was interested to see that they had added a new level of security. Everyone going into the foriegners office had their bag checked. It's not surprising given what has been happening in Germany lately, but it was still interesting. There wasn't that level of security when I first got to Germany. I had to race home to get my hair cut. When that was finished, I made my way back into and went to AOK, the public health insurance company. I have to have proof of health insurance before I can apply for the visa extension. I came home, yet again, and took a nap. I lazed around the house for a bit before I got ready in the evening. I went for dinner and drinks with Johnny and Fiona. We tried a new German restaurant up near the castle. We were all pleased with our meals. I didn't stay out long and was home by 11pm

Wednesday was less action packed. I worked an hour in the morning, got ready, and then went into town. I needed to get some stuff done at the bank. I came home afterwards and lazed around the house until it was time to work. HM got back with the kids about her usual time. I watched the kids while HM packed for their vacation. HP and the kids leave Saturday morning for their summer vacation. We all ate dinner and watched the Olympics together. When it was time for the boys to go to sleep, I was done working. I spent the evening at home.

Thursday morning I got to sleep in! It was Oma's last day here. I still had to get up early to go to the Ausländerwesen. I had yet more questions to ask before I could turn in all my paperwork. As I was waiting for the subway, a guy asked me when the next subway car was coming. Yet again, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to get my questions answered. I went to AOK yet again and turned in my application for health care. It was nice to finally get one thing taken care of. I again went to the bank. I was finally able to head home around noon. As I was waiting on the platform, a guy came up to me and asked if the train was stopping at a certain stop. I ate lunch at home and relaxed for a little before I had to drive Oma to the bus stop. I said goodbye to her, as it's the last time I'd see her as the au pair. She was sweet and wished me all the best, and said hopefully she'd see me again. I went for a run when I got home. It was beautiful weather outside, perfect running weather actually. I hung around the house in the afternoon, taking care of some chores while I waited for everyone to get home.  HM dropped the kids off with me and then left immediately for Munich. HD got home from his business trip soon afterwards. The boys were really excited to see him. I hung out with the kids while HD got settled in. We all ate dinner together and HD asked about my visa extension drama. I got the kids ready for bed and then was finished working for the night. I was sitting in my room, typing away on my computer. I opened some gummy bears to eat. One heard the wrapper and marched into my room. He demanded to know what I was eating and wanted some. I refused, of course, but he lingered anyways. He ended up hanging out in my room with me for awhile and we had a little pillow fight. Two joined in on the fun as well. It was an adorable moment. I stayed at home for the night, getting into bed early.

Schwerelosigkeit für das Herz.

August 5/Friday was not a great day. I worked an hour in the morning. I thought I'd have to drive the kids to school and also bring them home, but HM's work engagements for the day were cancelled and she went about her day as usual. I pretty much laid around home all day and didn't do anything. I wanted a day of almost complete laziness, and that's what I got! I did manage to force myself to spend a couple of hours searching for apartments. I even got so far as to set up an appointment to meet with potential roommates on Monday! I am excited and nervous about it. Wish me luck! I worked a couple hours in the evening when everyone got home, but was free around 7pm to do as I wished. I got ready and headed into town. I met up with John and Fiona, and then we went and met up with a number of our other friends. We were celebrating Danielle's birthday, so naturally we spent the evening drinking and laughing. I finally made my home around 5am (and I was the first one to go home!).

Saturday was the first Saturday in awhile that I didn't have to work. HP took the kids out to town somewhere. I'm not exactly sure where they went or what they did, but it gave me a quiet house and I was able to sleep in undisturbed. I more or less lazed around the house all day. In the late afternoon I managed to peel myself out of bed, shower, and make my way into town. I caught the train out to Vilseck, which is where an American military base is. Two of my friends, John and Leo, are stationed out there. They were putting on an American-German Volksfest in between the two bases (Vilseck is one, Graf is the second). A couple of my friends were going and I wanted to go as well. I spent the evening hanging out with Kayleigh, Larissa, and Kyle. I also ran into an old friend of mine, Michael. Michael is over here with the Army for six months of training. He came to Nürnberg just over a month ago. We met up then and I showed him around. It didn't even occur to me that he might be at the festival (despite the fact that he is training less than two miles from it). I was dancing with Kayleigh and Larissa when I happened to glance around and I spotted Michael dancing in the corner with his friends. We were both beyond excited to have run into each other and our two little groups joined forces. We all hung out together the rest of the evening. We met a bunch of people throughout the evening and made some friends. Leo came around when he was finished working at his unit's group. All in all, it was a fun night. It was nice to get away from Nürnberg and to do something a little different for a change.

Sunday I went for lunch with Leo. We went to a cute little asian restaurant and we both enjoyed our meals. I went for a run in the evening just as the sun was settling and the cool air was coming in, which is certainly the best time for a run during the summer. I spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home in anticipation of my long day on Monday.

Das Zimmer ist schon vergeben.

August 1 was a fairly typical Monday. I worked an hour in the morning. One was in an absolutely horrible mood and basically cried the entire morning. Two tends to do everything One does, so I had to work hard to keep him from copying his brother's mood. I went back to sleep when everyone was gone, getting up in the late morning to go for a run. I cooked myself a nice lunch, showered, and ran a few errands. HM dropped One off with me and left with Two for swim class. One and I spent an hour hanging out while we waited for HD to get home. HD picked up One for swim class and I had the house to myself. I had to vacuum and iron, so I wasn't finished working until 8pm. I ate dinner and then got changed. I went into town to meet up with Johnny, John, and Kat. It was Johnny's birthday and I wanted to hang out with him for a bit. I only stayed out for a couple of hours, opting to get into bed earlier rather than later.

Tuesday was a gross day. It rained all day and was a bit chilly for summertime (only 65F).  I worked in the morning and then went back to sleep. The cleaning lady finally came after being on vacation for a couple of weeks. I always like to be out of the house when she's here, otherwise I just feel like I'm in her way. I ran a number of errands while she was cleaning. They weren't anything particularly important, just a few little things I'd been meaning to do. By the time I got home, the cleaning lady was gone. I spent an hour relaxing while I waited for everyone to get home. HP and the kids all showed up about the same time. I watched the kids while HP both did some things around the house. HM worked on their taxed and HD built Two's new bed (he's graduated from a crib to a child's bed. The five of us ate dinner together for the first time in awhile. HP and I chatted about some of the finer aspects of my life after I finish with them, like my residence permit and insurance. There's a lot I still have to do. When we had finished cleaning up after dinner, I was done working. I spent the evening hanging out and relaxing.

Wednesday turned out to be very productive for me. I worked in the morning to get everyone out the door. I went back to sleep when they were all gone, but set an alarm so I wouldn't get up too late. I spent the late morning and early afternoon taking care of some rather unpleasant tasks. First, I applied for health insurance as a student. This ended up being a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. I'm not sure why I thought it wouldn't be complicated. Everything in Germany is difficult, especially for a foreigner. Hopefully I get it taken care of soon, but judging by what transpired already, it might take awhile. I also began looking for apartments. Apartment hunting is rather tedious and completely infuriating. I'm hoping to live in an apartment with other people to keep my costs down. At the end of the day, it's my future roommates who decide who they take on as their roommate, which means I have to do my best to impress them. I feel like the fact that I am American is doing more to hurt me than help me in this situation. I've decided to send three messages to potential apartments each day looking for a place. That way I'll still be getting something accomplished each day but I won't get overwhelmed and discouraged by the search. I'd like to have this taken care of soon as possible. I'll be homeless come September 1 otherwise. Anyways, I ran some errands and did some chores in the afternoon and then went for a run. HM and the kids got home around their usual time, with HD arriving an hour or so after them. I spent a couple of hours hanging out with the kids while HP did stuff around the house. We all had dinner together. I was finished working after dinner. I did have to help HD clean out the drain in my shower. It was clogged with my hair and absolutely stunk. I spent the rest of the evening hanging around the house.

Thursday was entirely too busy. HM left in the morning for a business trip, so I had to drive the kids to school. I came home, did some chores around the house, and then went for a run. I made myself lunch, showered, and then headed into town. HD was working from home because he was waiting on someone to come by and fix the shades in the living room. Since he had to wait around the house all day, he had his colleague come over for their business meeting. I wanted to make myself scarce while they were working, so I went into town to buy a few things I needed. I came home and left almost immediately to pick up the kids from school. We came home and all hung out for a bit. HD ordered pizza for us for dinner, though he had to leave shortly thereafter for a business dinner. I was alone with the kids for the rest of the night. We ate dinner and then I got them bathed and ready for bed. HD promised them they could watch the soccer game that was on tv, so the three of us watched the game for a bit. I put Two to bed while One continued watching the game. One ended up falling asleep on the couch, and I had to carry him upstairs and put him to sleep. I went to bed almost immediately after. I was exhausted. From when I started working at 7am until when I got into my own bed at 10pm, I'd only had about 30 minutes to relax.

Alles im Griff?

July 29/Friday was a nice start to the weekend. I worked an hour in the morning to get everyone out the door. Per usual, I went back to sleep once they were gone. I went for a run in the afternoon. It's been nice getting back into the habit of running. It's one of those things that you might dread while you think about doing it, but as soon as it's over, you're glad you forced yourself to do. Ideally, I'd like to get back to the gym as well, but I don't have the money to pay for a membership. HM brought the kids home at their usual time. She needed to mail something, so she sent me to the post office before they closed so she could continue doing some things around the house. She left later to go to dance class, leaving me alone with the kids while we waited for HD to show up. He got home shortly after HM left. I got dinner ready and the four of us all ate together. I helped HD get the kids ready for bed and then I was finished working. I got ready myself and went into town. Adam, Eddie, Basti, Patricia, and some others came into town from Ansbach. It was Eddie's birthday and he wanted to get out of Ansbach for a little while. This weekend was Bardentreffen in Nürnberg. Bardentreffen is, of course, a festival. It dates back to musical street performers from the middle ages and has continued into present day.  Street performers were scattered all throughout the city. It was really cool. The atmosphere was electric. We wandered around for a couple of hours and then went to one of Eddie's favorite bars. They all decided to head back to Ansbach on the last train. I had a hour to wait until my next train came, so I went for a drink with Conor. It was nice to catch up with him, and I was glad I was still able to make it in bed at a reasonable time.

Saturday was a pretty relaxing day. I worked four hours in the morning and early afternoon. I took the boy to the park while HP did various things inside and outside of the house. It was, again, a nice day outside. It was sunny, yet not too warm, aka perfect park weather. We stayed for about an hour and a half. We all ate lunch together when the boys and I got back. Since it was so nice out, we ate lunch in the yard. I decided to take a nap while the kids napped. I got up in the late afternoon and went for a run. I was proud of myself for running four times throughout the week. I've been a lot slower than I'd like, but it's been a couple of months since I was running with any consistency, so I shouldn't have expected anything else. I just have to make sure I don't let myself get lazy and stop anytime soon. I skyped with a friend after my run and hung out around the house for the rest of the evening.

Sunday was spent hanging out with Leo. We were pretty lazy, so we just watched movies and hung out. It was cold and rainy, making it the perfect day to lounge around.

It was a relatively relaxed weekend, though I can't say I minded terribly much. It was nice to not do much for a change (and to not spend much money either). I'm always quite broke at the end of the month.