Destination Deutschland: Day 2

I arrived at my new home on Tuesday, June 15th at about 4:30 in the afternoon. The house is on the edge of the English Gardens so the whole neighborhood is just alive with green – trees, grass, bushes, gardens. A small creek runs along the backside of the property and the garden behind the house is absolutely adorable. It’s lovely.

Quaint little neighborhood, isn't it?

When I arrived, I was greeted by my host mother, Erika. The girls (AKA Die Kinder) were away on a school trip to a “kinder hotel” or something. So they would not be home until Wednesday afternoon so I didn’t meet them then. Erika and I sat down and talked for a little bit, about my travels and graduation, all the boring, necessary stuff. She gave me a tour of the house. I absolutely LOVE this house. It’s so gorgeous. It used to be two houses but now it’s one gorgeous big house. The first floor is the kitchen, living area, and patio and the girls and the parents bedroom are on the second floor. The third floor is my room, a bathroom, and Helen’s room.

My little bed, in it’s cute little alcove.
Perfect au pair dwellings.

My bedside table/bookshelf.

Window seat. I’ve ALWAYS wanted one of these.

    Desk, computer, etc. Duh.

Closet. Everything fit perfectly!

Eventually I will post more pictures, of course. These were taken at 3 am while I was fighting jet lag. I was so tired when I first arrived here in Munich but I managed to keep myself awake until about 10 pm. Erika and I went for a walk (maybe it would help my swollen feet?) and she showed me around the neighborhood. The girls kindergarten is about three or four doors down, on the same street and I will take them there everyday. The English Gardens is right behind the house. There were so many people out walking, jogging, biking. We even ran into a sheep herder and his flock. It was cool. She showed me the UBauhn stop and the different trails for bikes vs. walking should I choose to get around either way.

Before our walk, we had dinner and talked some more. She made salad and we had bread, cheese, and pretzels. Ha. Yum! She paid me my first 150 Euros and we started my Au Pair insurance over the Internet. Then I disappeared upstairs to relax and organize and, eventually go to bed. Helen came home from her nanny job around 9:30 and so we talked for a little bit. I hadn’t seen her since September of 2008 so it was so nice seeing her again! I missed having British accents in my life!

At about 10:30 or so, I put myself to bed. I managed to fall asleep pretty easily but STAYING asleep was a challenge. I woke up a few times, mostly because every time I move the bed makes horrible noises. Ha. Around 3 am, I woke up enough that I couldn’t go back to sleep. So I got up and used the bathroom and took some pictures. I tried to read and eventually, I took a few Benadryl and started watching a movie on my iPod. That did it. I managed to drift off and woke up a few times during the morning before pulling myself out of bed at 10.

Next up: Shower, dress, breakfast, and into the city with Helen!

And so begins my first official day in Munich!