First Post

Hello Everyone,


Welcome to my very first posting. I am going to try to update the blog at least once a week, if not more often. This first post is just a general starting point for the blog, and an update before I leave for Germany.

Some FAQ's:

When do you leave? I leave Saturday, January 7th around 7:45am. I arrive Sunday, January 8th around 10:30am their time. (Time difference, +6 hours from EST.)

What exactly will you be doing? I will be an au pair (or sort of a nanny) until the end of July. There are three children, aged 9, 7, and 6. I will be doing some light housework, possibly cooking, but mostly looking after the children.

Do you have to wear a uniform? I have no idea. I will let everyone know as soon as I find out.

Where did you find out about this opportunity? I was Googling some working abroad options and came across a website: GeoVisions. I found the German au pair section, applied, and now I'm going. It all happened pretty quickly.

How does your family feel about you leaving? I have gotten mixed reviews. Overall, I can tell I'm being supported, however, very cautiously.

Are you nervous? Yes and no. I have done this kind of thing before, however, not on an international scale. I think I'll be more nervous when I wake up in a foreign country for the first time.

Do you speak German? I took four years of it in high school. I have a pretty good recollection of most of what I learned, and I have been brushing up the past few months.

Are you packed? Everything has been separated and just needs to be placed in the suitcase.

Will they be able to support your diet? For those of you who are unaware, or simply did not believe that this was a true lifestyle choice, I am organic. I do not believe that we should be consuming pesticides or artificial fillers of any kind. That being said, Europe is far more "advanced" in this area than the U.S. Many of their foods are "all natural" if not totally organic. (Okay, so what's the difference? "All natural" refers oftentimes to the fact that the food, whatever it may be is produced without any artificial dyes, flavors, or fillers. To use a simple example, plain grapes would be considered "all natural." However, organic means that the food was produced, in addition to being without artificial ingredients, without added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, or cruel treatment, [if we're talking about meat]. So, "all natural" grapes would be organic if they had been produced without the use of any pesticides during growth. That's it in an organic nutshell.)

Why are you doing this? I have always wanted to travel and explore the world. I would like to, hopefully, find my place in the world, be able to get my master's degree in something I love, and travel for a living. I love helping people, I love volunteering, I love to work, and I love to travel.



Some things I would like to share: First, you may have noticed my two mascots on the upper left hand side. They are my mini Squishables (they are amazing and adorable, you must go to the Squishable website and read about their awesomeness), and they are coming with me to Germany. PB&J are very excited and will probably be writing their own post complete with pictures sometime in the near future.

Next, I am taking a series of children's books with me. They are the Elephant & Piggie collection by Mo Willems. They are hilarious and if you ever get the chance, go to Barnes & Noble and pick up a copy to read.

I am also taking some puzzles with me to do while I'm bored. They are of Japanese origin and the Japanese call them nonograms. However, they are also called griddlers, picross, picture sudoku, paint by numbers, or igridd. To check them out, visit the Griddlers website to see if you like them.

Lastly, if you would like to get an e-mail every time this blog is updated, please enter your e-mail address in the Follow By E-mail section below. Don't worry, I will tell Google to only use your e-mail address for the purposes of keeping you updated. You should receive no spam.

That's about it for now. I will be posting again on Sunday, after I arrive. I am grateful for all of the support that everyone has given me, and I am also grateful that those who read this care enough to do so!

Take care everyone,

Holly