So I have been vlogging a lot and I really enjoy it! So, here are recent vlogs! Some are travel vlogs, some are just my Au Pair experience! Enjoy and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more vlogs!
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Please see Part 1 about the beginning of our trip! The next morning we woke up early to catch our train to Salzburg!! I think this was everyone's favorite part of the trip. The city was beautiful and we really enjoyed being in the mountains. We also really love the Sound of Music, so we were excited to see some of those sights in the city too! First we headed straight into the center of the city to Mozartplatz and the main square. We started our Rick Steve's audioguide and toured through the residence and saw the Salzburg Dom. Mozart even played on of the organs in the church. Then we walked over to St. Peter's Church. The cemetery is really neat, and the inspiration for the Hollywood film set where the Von Trapp family were chase by Ralph and hid. Next we headed to the old shopping street, The Getreidegasse, and found a unique feel of old traditions mixed with new contemporary style. It is on the street that Mozart's family lived, and the house he was born in. At our time in Salzburg, we stayed at the Salzburg Meininger Hostel/hotel. We had a very nice room that felt more like a hotel room than a hostel. It was really clean and a nice size room for four people! We would recommend anyone stay there. We took the S-Bahn to get there our first night, and that was a mistake! It would have been much easier with just the city bus! The hotel is just around the corner from the bus stop! They also offered a lovely breakfast buffet that you pay extra for 9 about 6 EUR per person), but it was nice with plenty of food choices! The next day we got up and headed back into town and went straight to Mirabell Gardens! I was excited to see the gardens since they are in so many scenes in the Sound of Music! After we frolicked in the gardens (that were mostly closed because it was winter), we headed to Mozart's Residence, where he and his family lived from the time he was 16. Then we headed to the Hohensalzburg Fortress! This was the best view of the surrounding mountains and city!! We took the Fortress funicular up to the top and ended up walking the path along the ridge to the Modern Art Museum so we could see more spots from the Sound of Music! It was a long walk, but refreshing and beautiful. We ended our time in Salzburg with some shopping and then we ate at a great restaurant called Zwettler's. They had delicious food and I had read about it on someone's blog, but we were also pointed to eat there by some locals! It's next to Mozart's statue and was delicious! On Sunday, we got up early, like 4:30am early, to catch a 6am train to Füssen to go to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau! We arrived in Füssen with all our luggage, to a completely torn down train station. Thankfully a hotel up the street had luggage storage so we left our bags there and headed to Hohenschwangau by taxi! We headed to the ticket counter, where we picked up our reserved tickets! Well we learned that the online reservation system was a little confusing because we reserved our tickets later than my mom expected, but it ended up being fine, because we had plenty of time to get lunch and walk through some chachkie shops (as my mom calls them). We finally started our tour at Hohenschwangau and we had a really lovely tour guide. She was super knowledgeable and knew a lot about the history and the people. She even let us sneak a picture out the amazing views out one of the windows! Finally, it was time to head up to Newschwanstein! At this point in the trip, my feet hurt so much that I was not about to hike up the steep hill! So dad and I rode in the bus (it cost about 3 EUR for both of us, and it was only running one way)! Thank goodness we rode the bus, it is a long way up that hill! The castle was really amazing, although it could have been much more spectacular if it has been finished! None the less, it was really cool seeing both castles! Unfortunately they don't allow photos in either castles, but it was cool to take pictures outside! I would suggest going to both castles! Finally, it was time to head back to Stuttgart! We had to take a taxi back to Füssen to catch our train back to Stuttgart! Our last day together was a little bit crazy. It was Monday, and I was back to work. I had a typical morning, and then my family came to have lunch with me and to go to the Porsche Museum. Before my parents came, I realized that museums are closed on Mondays! I was so mad because my dad was really looking forward to going to the museum! I was so mad that I didn't realize! We could have gone to the museum when we were in town before. Grr! We headed to lunch at this great Italian place that my host family goes to all the time. Then we walked down to the Porsche area to show them the huge statue and go into the Porsche dealership. Dad has fun looking at some cars and then we headed home to pick-up the kids. It was really fun having my mom and Dad and brother see a typical afternoon in my life. My mom and dad and I picked up Awa at school and Yannis from the bus! Mom even went with me to take Awa to Gymnastics and my dad and Ben stayed with Yannis. Finally we headed to my friends house, where my parents were staying, for dinner! It was really nice to just eat with them and enjoy our last night together! Our time went way too fast, but I am so thankful they got to come!!
Just a few weeks ago, my parents and older brother traveled for their first times to Europe! I am so thankful that they got to come visit me while I am in Germany! It was so good to be with them and travel together. Since Paris is just a short train ride away, we decided to meet in Paris and start our trip there. They flew into Paris and we met in the lobby of out Hostel. We got all checked in and then headed off to The Palace of Versailles! Our first stop of the day and beginning of a day filled with adventure. Versailles was beautiful! There was so much to see and explore! We all bought the Paris City Pass, so all of our museum entrances were free! We still had to pay for traveling, but it was great to have one cost for all the museums! We got to Versailles in the early afternoon and headed straight in for our tour. We probably spent 15 minutes total waiting to get through the security line and walked right in. We got audio guides with the tour, but I found it really dry and boring. My mom and I ended up listening to the Rick Steve's Audioguide! It was much better and gives more interesting information. Unfortunately, since its winter, the gardens were all closed! That was a bummer since they are supposed to be so beautiful. We could see them out the windows, and even in the winter, they looked amazing. The day got really interesting when Ben and I, and our parents got separated! To make a long story short, Ben and I had my parents paged by security, were taken through the chateau on a private tour and finally decided to leave the Palace when it made no sense that they could be there any longer. It was a crazy 2 hour debacle! Ben finally convinced me to head back to our hostel, and hope that they also headed there. Thankfully, they were waiting in our room when we got back and it turns out that we were just all confused. From then on, we determined a meeting point in each place and did a better job of communicating with each other. Unfortunately, it was a rainy evening in Paris so it wasn't super enjoyable, but after a delicious dinner at the recommendation of a worker at the Hostel, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe for a great evening view of Paris! We also stopped at the Paris Opera on the way! Climbing up the Arc was a workout, but it was really cool at the top. In case you didn't know, at the top of the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles. So we got to the top and had about 15 minutes to wait! Unfortunately the rain and wind was pretty strong and it wasn't very fun to wait up there. I wish we could have seen the city on a clear night. But, none the less the view was great!! I really recommend it for a great overall view of the city! Again, the Arc was included in the city pass, so it didn't cost anything extra for us to go up! We were supposed to finish the night off at the Eiffel Tower, but with the rain, we decided to skip it. Instead, Mom and I made plans to go there early in the morning together and meet the boys later at Saint Chapelle. I am so glad that we did! Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person was crazy!! I couldn't believe my eyes. Also, I knew it was big, but man, was it BIG! We made it back to Notre Dame/ Saint Chapelle. We got off the subway and my mom realized that she had lost her iPhone! We hopelessly headed down into the subway again to ask for help and were told the chances of it being turned in were very slim. We decided to not worry too much, but would try to come back later and ask again. We headed to meet the boys at Saint Chapelle. I didn't even know what Saint Chapelle was, but it was incredible! I suggest that you go see it if you go to Notre Dame! It about a 5 minute walk and really neat! It holds one of the oldest frescos in Europe! The stained glass windows are also really neat. It was fun to look through the chapel windows and try to figure out each bible story depicted! Next, we headed to Notre Dame. I wasn't wowed by Notre Dame, but it was cool to see. I would have been happy just to see the outside! After Notre Dame, we walked along the Seine and headed to the Louvre! I felt like I was back in the Vatican Museums in Rome! There is so much to see and take in there. But I think the kind of art that continues to impress me are sculptures! They never cease to amaze me! My favorite on this trip was Winged Victory. It was massive and beautiful. We also saw the Mona Lisa, rooms styled like when Napoleon lived in the Palace and other famous works! It was incredible! After the Louvre, we unfortunately didn't have enough time to go anywhere else, and be back in time to catch our train to Stuttgart! So we headed back to our hostel and stopped at a lovely bakery for dinner. Then we picked up our bags at the hostel, and headed for the train station and hopped on our train to Stuttgart. We had a very relaxed morning at my house and then headed for Schlossplatz for lunch and a walk around the old town. We got some German food for lunch and then headed to Rubble Hill, or Birkenkopf, one of my favorite places in Stuttgart! After Rubble Hill, we went to the Schweine Museum. They have over 50,000 pigs on display in the museum. Since my dad collects pigs, we thought it would be fun! Our trip continues in Salzburg. Check back soon for the second part of our trip in Part 2!
I can't believe that its been almost a whole month since I have written a blog post. Over the past few months there are a few things in my experience that have come up that I'd wish I would have known that could have made my time here a little easier, so here are a few tips for future Au Pairs!
Live in the Country you want to travel in most: For me, I didn't really have a choice. In a sense Germany chose me because I met the family in the states and moved here, but if you have the choice, choose a place that you'd be really excited to explore. In my time here, I have found that it is cheaper to travel in the country that you live, than to go outside of the country. There are a few places that were at the top of my list to get to, and its more expensive and time consuming than I thought to get to some of those places. Although I like Germany, my mind was set on seeing Europe, and unless you've got unlimited funds, I would say pick the place you want to travel in most, because you're not going to get to every major city in Europe. I was disappointed when I found this out, but in the end I guess I'll just have to plan to come back! ;) Money: I have a few things to say about money. To be honest, I hate money. Its an evil necessity that we have created and as a student or someone just our of college, life can be stressful and most of that stems from money. First, you're money goes fast. In Germany, most Au Pairs are paid 260 EUR for the month. You can also make more for taking a language course, but overall, thats about what you make. and it can GO FAST!! It is really hard to save enough to travel outside of Germany with just that money. In preparation for coming to Germany, I worked hard before I came, and saved a lot of money to bring with me. That was the only way that I could afford to go to Italy, to go to Paris and Salzburg when my parents come next month, and some other smaller trips. I also had this notion of cheap airfare that could take me everywhere. Although this can be true, you also have to remember that you have to pay for accommodations and food in every city, plus the cost of the things you do an see. A weekend trip could cost 200 EUR easily, depending where you go. (50-100=flight, 60-90= hostel, 50 =museums/tours/etc). The best tip I have found is to travel in a group of 4-5 people, take the slow trains and travel around the country you live in. I have been to several cities nearby in one day and it has only cost 50 EUR or less. You just have to satisfy your need to travel with these small, short trips. In the end, you get to say that you've seen a lot of the country you lived in and can give people a clearer picture of your host country. And in the future, you get to have more places to visit in Europe. Another thing that I've learned that also has to do with money is about where you live. One thing that I have struggled with is the cost of taking the subway when I want to go downtown. Unfortunately, its not a short walk for me to get downtown, so I need to take the subway train. Each time I go downtown and come back it costs about 5 EUR. This can add up quickly if you are making a few trips each week to hangout with friends, go to church or go shopping. Negotiate in your contract for help with the cost of a monthly bus/subway pass. I wish I had known to ask for this! In Stuttgart the pass costs between 60-80 EUR for just a few zones, which means that I would need to pay that with the 260 EUR I make each month. I wish I would have asked for them to help me cover this cost. Even if they paid 30 EUR it helps. The you can travel anytime you want, and when you take a language course, you can get there without worry. If you live further away from the city than I do, your pass could cost more. Ask your host family to look into it for you and ask if they will help you pay for it. I hope you find these tips helpful. IF you're an Au Pair and have more tips, please leave them below. If you have other questions as you're considering being an Au Pair, leave them below! Check back soon for a look at the Christmas Markets, Weilnachtsmarkt, I have visited! So I have been struggling with feeling alone and somewhat homesick, so I decided to do some research and find a grocery store with American products. I have been here for almost 3 months and so far I am doing well, but some days I just want a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich or a quesadilla. Those are two things I ate a lot in America and I miss so much. Luckily for both you and I, through another blog, I found a store with American products. Now, I didn't want to go crazy and buy everything, but tortillas and Peanut butter were at the top of my list to buy today. Here's all the details for the rest of you American's looking for a taste of home. Galeria Kaufhof is your new best friend. Its located on Königstr very close to Hauptbahnhof (main train station). Its directly across from McDonald's and looks like a department store. The funny thing is, that it actually is a department store. More on that later. Head straight in and go down the escalator to the bottom floor. You will be surrounded buy kitchen stuff, bath stuff, office supplies etc. Keep heading towards the back of the store, away from the escalator and you will find the market, or heaven. ;) Since peanut butter and tortillas were first on my list, I set out in search of them. Thankfully for me, they were next to each other, towards the back of the market, near the frozen foods or fish. (There was an aisle of asian food items as well, if you are looking for those things.) As you can see, they have an array of Tex Mex/Mexican food and cake mixes and hot chocolate. Word of advice, the guacamole in the jars is gross. You're better off making your own or buying a more fresh kind. I actually saw some in a cooler in the store that looked pretty good. They actually had corn tortillas (called Mexican tortillas) and flour tortillas. There were also a variety of Salsas, cheese sauces, fajita, and taco seasonings, refried beans, chillies and tortilla chips. There were also taco (hard), enchilada and burrito kits and hot sauces. Peanut butter was found with the baking stuff. They also had marshmallow fluff, baking powder, hot chocolate, maple syrup, and a variety of cake mixes. They also had other baking items like crisco. (I didn't end up buying the Peanut Butter from here, because it was like 5 Euros. I found another kind with the jams and jellies, and it came in a small size, so I opted for that.) As I continued to walk around the store, I found more and more familiar items. I found Tabasco sauce, as well as Heinz ketchup, BBQ sauces and Miracle Whip. I almost cried when I came to this aisle. Everything was a bit more expensive than I was willing to pay, but it looked so yummy! (I'll post the prices at the end of the blog) Poptarts, Kellog's Cereals, Clif bars, and Nature Vally Granola bars. In the pasta section, I found Barilla pasta and pasta sauce. They also had Uncle Ben's Rice there too! I also found Oreos, Jelly Belly jelly beans, and Werther's Candies. Overall, I was super excited to have found all that I did. I also saw Twinnings and Celestial Seasonings tea, ramen noodles, Campbell's Tomato Soup, white bread, and a variety of items with the title "American ...". For example, there was a salad dressing called American Dressing. I would really like to know what that is. I also saw some American white bread and hamburger buns. Here's a breakdown of the prices that I saw. Most things were reasonably priced, and I think that I could shop there again. Tortilla's (8)- 2,99 Crisco- 4,99 (small jar) Peanut Butter- 1,99 Clif Bar- 2,49 each Nature Vally Granola Bars (5 pack)- 2,99 Heniz Ketchup- 1,79-2,49 Miracle Whip- 3,29 (large jar) Ramen noodle- ,50 (one packet) Guacamole -2,99 (found in the coolers, not with mexican food) Twinnings/Celestial Seasons Tea - 4,99 per box Kellogg's Cereal- 3,39 Poptarts- 6,29 (8 pastries) Barilla Pasta Sauce-2,69-3,30 Barilla Pasta- 1,69-2,49 Uncle Ben's Rice- 2,99-3,79 Uncle Ben's Express Rice 1,49-3,29 Oreos- 2,49 Overall, I don't think that some of the prices are too bad for the products. I think probably the most outrageous ones are the poptarts and clif bars. In the end, this is what I bought. I am happy with it. It will help me get through the next few weeks/months here. You don't know what you miss until its gone. If you're not just looking for American food, the store also has lots of clothing, makeup and other items from the US. Its your typical department store with women's, men's and children's clothing, accessories, and housewares. Think Macy's, or Nordstrom. They had Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauter, Chanel, Dior and even Burt's bees. Some of these can also be found at other stores around town too.
Well I hope the post has been helpful. If I find anymore places with American Food, I'll let you know! After 75 days, 10 and a half weeks, and a four week intensive German course, I FINALLY HAVE MY VISA!! I am so happy to know that everything is final and I am staying for the year. I feel like a new person. I feel like I can finally relax and just enjoy my time here instead of stressing about my Visa. And, making it even sweeter by celebrating today with Starbucks and buying some flowers. Sounds strange, right?! Well my whole life, my mom and Grandmothers always had flowers around. The houses were always teeming with flowers outside and inside. To me, it's comforting. Just one more thing to make my space feel more like my room. And to top off the celebrating, in just a few weeks, I'm heading to Italy! This is a dream come true and I am so excited to be in places that hold so much history. Bon voyage!
Check back soon for info about my experience in Italy! Thanks for your prayers and support. They mean so much to me. Here's a look at the past week.
Sunday, I began feeling anxious about my exam that I would take on Thursday. The only way I would be staying in Germany is if I passed this exam. I had begun studying a few days before, but I was nervous still. I went to church that evening, hoping for a chance to take my mind off things and worship. Worship started and I was pleased that it was one I knew well. I closed my eyes and began singing. The song was one that we sang often at my church in Michigan, so I was feeling very at home. I was even imagining standing in that sanctuary that I’ve stood is so many times, singing this very song. In that moment, I thought “This feels like home.” Before my human brain could think something else, I heard from the Lord, “This is home for a while. You will pass your test.” I know it was Him, because the response came too quickly. There is no way my brain would process something that fast. After those words were uttered in my ears, I began crying and a weight was lifted off my chest. I felt like I could breathe. The rest of the week was totally different. I had this confidence I hadn’t had with German before. I was confident that I would pass, because the Lord spoke to me. Thursday arrived, and to my surprise, I was calm and dependant on the Lord. Numerous times over the last few weeks, I have prayed and uttered the words, “Lord, if this isn’t what you have for me, that’s ok, I’ll go home. I don’t want to, but I will if You tell me to.” I was still saying those things, in an effort to try and handle all the emotions that could result as the outcome of the test was revealed. Thursday on my way to school I plugged in my headphones, needed the presence of the Holy Spirit on my mind. I listened to “You Make Me Brave” by Bethel Music, and “I am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe. If you need two songs to give you confidence, I’d choose those. I was confident in the Lord’s words to me and in my preparation for the exam. After the exam was another story. I was a mess. The speaking section of the exam didn’t go as well as I’d hoped and I was really worried I wouldn’t pass. The listening sections had also been more difficult than I had expected, and I was just unsure of the outcome. My classmates and I went to lunch to celebrate the end of the class. It was fun and I enjoyed being with them. All afternoon and evening, I was plagued by doubt and fear. I believed that the Lord had spoke to me, but I just didn’t believe that I had passed. I kept thinking, “what if I didn’t pass? Does that mean God didn’t speak to me?” And yet even as I would think those things, I believed that he had spoken to me. But I was worried what I would say to Him, if somehow I didn’t pass. My human mind just couldn’t commit to the idea that I had passed. I didn’t sleep well either, knowing I would find out the results the next morning. Friday morning, I got up and the wait began. At points, I felt like I was going to throw up. FINALLY, class began and she gave us our grades. And just as The Lord promised, I passed. When she said my grade, I exclaimed “I’m staying in Germany, ya’ll!!” Some of the people around me that knew passing would mean I got to stay, gave me high fives or big smiles from across the room. I guess the thing I learned this week, is even when the Lord speaks, and I honestly believe He has spoken to me, my human flesh will always fail and doubt His words. I honestly believe that He spoke to me, to give me the confidence I needed going into the test. I also think He hoped it would help calm me down after, and maybe it did some, I’ll never know. I’m just thankful the Lord chose to speak, and that I was able to hear His voice. Please continue to pray for me. On Monday I will head to the Visa office with my certificate of completion in the course, with the hopes that I will finally get my Visa. Honestly, if they decline me again, I don’t know if I will get the Visa. Pray that the woman would be gracious and that I can speak to her what little German I know to impress her. Below are links to the songs I shared above. “You Make Me Brave” by Bethel Music “I am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe This last week has flown by quickly, and I am sure that the one to come will also fly by. This coming week I begin my final week of class, and Thursday holds my exam. I am nervous, worried, and ready for it all to be over. No matter what the outcome, I just want it to be over. The test basically determines if I stay, or if I go back to the US. I'm not sure that I feel ready or even competent enough to take the exam, but I am pressing on. I do really want to stay, so I am working to try and do that. Learning a new language is just SO hard, and it takes so much work and practice and memorization. I did find out though that I only need at 60% to pass. I am fairly confident that I can do that, but its the speaking that makes me most nervous. I am trying to memorize and study sentences to make that part a little easier; I just hope it works. The AuPair across the street offered to help me study, so that will be good. I also need to memorize a few sentences for a note that we have to write. Its just lots of memorization and sometimes, I have a really hard time with it.
I remember being in middle school and having my mom help me study with flashcards. We would spend hours going over them until I got them all, or at least most of them. Thats how I feel now. Thankfully I am a decent test taker, although this feels like a whole new ball game. Please pray for me. Pray for my memory to be strong, pray for my studying to be fruitful and that I would know what I need to in order to pass the exam. I believe that God has brought me here for a reason, and I am believing that I will stay, although right now, nothing is set in stone. I have a few verses that I have put around my room as reminders that I am not alone and God is with me, so I'll leave you with those. Yesterday was insane. I went to Oktoberfest, not to drink my brains out and pass out, but to see what its all about and have a beer. Let me just say now, it was a crazy day. I went with the International Club and our train left at 7am, and we had to meet at the station by 6:30a. I got up at 5:30a and headed to the station with Nina, the Au Pair who lives across the street from me. We arrived at the station and met up with everyone and just before 7, we headed to the train. Thankfully we found seats for the first our trip. In Ulm we had to switch trains. The train was packed!! There were no seats available, so we just sat on the stairs for most of the two hour ride to Munich. By the end some seats became available. There were so many people dressed in Lederhosen and traditional dresses. I even met American's guys on the train from San Diego. We arrived in Munich about 10 and headed for Marienplatz. We had about 4 hours to walk around the city and so I took a few of my friends to a few places that I went to when I was there a few weeks ago. It was fun, but my feet were already getting tired. We met back with the group and headed to meet the Munich Au Pair group. No one showed up, so we just proceeded to Oktoberfest. It was nothing like I imagined. I guess in my head, I just thought it was a bunch of beer halls filled with people. Although thats true, it was also a huge carnival. There were rides and games and food stalls. It was definitely the biggest carnival I have ever been to. And there were SO many people. This is not an exaggeration. The entire time, you were shoulder to shoulder with people. It was loud and there was so much smoke. I started to get a headache after about an hour. My body couldn't take in all the noise, smells and sights. We walked around but found that all the beer halls had hundreds of people waiting to get in, so we couldn't find a place to get a beer, which was annoying. Apparently only in the beer halls can you order beers. But there were plenty of stalls selling hard liquor and mix drinks. We met up with some friends of one the girls I was with and she said if we really wanted a beer, we should go out of the festival and go nearby. So we went to a biergarten and finally, with only about 30 minutes to enjoy a beer, got the Oktoberfest experience. Since we didn't have much time, my friend and I decided to split a beer, which was a wise choice. A mug was about 10 euro, so I was happy to split the cost too.
In the midst of all of that, we saw so many drunk people, so many people literally passed out on the street, or near a sidewalk. It was crazy. We met back up with our group and headed to the train station about 6:00p. We had to run to make our train, which was not fun, and there were no seats on the train. I ended up sitting in the aisle because my feet hurt to bad, I couldn't stand anymore. Somehow, I ended up with a guy from the group sleeping on my lap. About halfway through the ride, we found some seats. We had to run to make our next connecting train, but made it. We finally were back in Stuttgart, exhausted. It was a good trip, I just wish that we could have gone inside a beerhall, just to see it, but I am glad I went. It was something I won't soon forget. This week I started my Intensive German course. And let me say, its been intense and crazy. I have experienced a wide variety of emotions this week, mostly having to do with this course. Every weekday, from 8:45a-12:45p, I have class. We have a few breaks in there, but its basically four hours of German and its tough. Monday was a good day. I already knew most of the vocabulary, I could tell I was going to like my teacher, and my classmates seemed really nice. We were off to a great start. But Tuesday came rushing in with force. It was apparent that since I had been teaching myself, there were gaps in my understanding, mostly in Grammar. I was confused and unsure about the material that we discussed in class. I was able to ask for some help, and seemed to better understand the content and grammar. Wednesday again came rushing in, and I was again knocked down and felt completely defeated with German. Even though I wasn't sure if I should attend Bible Study that night, I went and my group even offered to help me with my German homework and explained to me some of the things I wasn't understanding and helped me complete my homework. Feeling thankful and upbeat again I attended class Thursday and Friday, and there lay a different set of difficulties. Our class has a terrific teacher Monday-Wednesday, and a not so good one Thursday and Friday. To make a long story short, she doesn't really teach us, but rather lead us through the exercises in the book and expects us to simply understand everything. So it makes the class tough to sit through and somewhat enjoy.
In the midst of all this, the Lord revealed to me a sense of pride in me that He is breaking down. I realized that I am afraid to ask for help. It is really hard for me to ask for people to help me learn and practice and speak, because I don't want to seem or look stupid. German and this process makes me feel stupid. It is hard, and I feel like most of the time I just don't get it, and I feel stupid. I think this is also the reason I didn't put more effort into it in America before I left. It was hard for me to get help from my small group this week. I also was able to share this with the Au Pair across the street last night. We went to an Au Pair meeting and I was telling her about my week and she told me that any night I need help, I can come across the street to her house and we can work on it together. The Lord has blessed me so much. But my human flesh is stubborn and my pride takes over. I just don't want people to think I'm stupid. But in light of this realization, I am pointed back to the Cross and my Savior. It doesn't matter what other people think of me. Only His opinion matters. He will still love me if I speak English and German, or just English, or smoother language. I have chosen to follow Him, so His view of me is simply a reflection of himself. Through the words of other people this week, He whispered, "It's ok to ask for help. You won't look stupid. Trust Me." |
AuthorMy name is Lindsey. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Early Childhood Education in 2015 and moved to Germany as an Au Pair for a year! I love my Savior and my relationship with Him is most important. I also love traveling. I have been to the UK and Ireland, South Korea, China, Bosnia, Montenegro, and now Germany, Italy, Austria and France. I started this blog to chronicle my life as an Au Pair in Germany and my European Travels. My hope is that future Au Pairs would find my blog helpful and informative as they decide if they would like to be an Au Pair. Lindsey's Instagram:
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