Somehow, I Keep Ending Up in France

I've now officially been living in Germany for over a month.  But I think I've seen more of France than of the country which I am currently inhabiting.  I still haven't properly explored Stuttgart (actually, haven't explored it at all, let alone properly.  I don't think one coffee at a nice café and repeated trips through the main station really counts...), but, hey, I have eleven more months to do that, right?  Although, this is coming from the girl who lived in Dunedin for six months and never made it to the Otago Peninsula, which is a mere 20-minute drive away from campus, so anything is possible.  BUT, my excuse for the moment is that I should do my traveling while the weather is nice.  Because one the weather turns, all I will want to do is hibernate, and it will be much easier to summon the energy for a twelve minute train ride to Stuttgart than it will for an extended commute elsewhere.

With the forecast for this past Saturday demanding a day spent outdoors, Laura and I decided it would be the perfect day for a trip to Strasbourg.  I should probably say a bit more about Laura; she is also working as an au pair near Stuttgart, but has been here since November.  She was an architecture major, she's from Austin, Texas, and we became good friends quite quickly.  On account of her longer time here in Germany, she speaks German pretty well, has mastered public transportation, and actually possesses a sense of direction.  I don't actually know what I bring to the table during our trips, but she keeps traveling with me so I won't bring attention to that just yet.

Laura and I on the train.  Look, the sun was out.

Strasbourg (as the title of this post suggests) is in France, just over the German border.  On the slow trains (much cheaper tickets prices...) it takes about three hours to get there from Stuttgart. That is about as far as I would be willing to go for a day trip; any longer than that and you're wasting too much time getting to and from your location to justify the time and expense.  In this case, the travel time was absolutely worth it, as Strasbourg is lovely.  It was everything that I thought Paris should be: quaint, clean, beautiful, and so obviously European that it almost seemed an exaggeration.  Bridges, cobblestone streets, flower boxes, street side cafés, cathedrals...you name it, this city has it.

As usual, the highlight of my day was the food.  We chose another adorable French café, and sat outside enjoying the gorgeous fall day and a lovely view of the river.  Laura ordered tea and a salmon sauerkraut dish; I had quiche and espresso (shocking, I know.  I must also say that France has Germany beat so far as coffee quality is concerned).  Everything was amazing, as usual, and served with a side of French bread, as usual.  I'm pretty sure that I am indeed ruined for bread when I return to the states (which is a GOOD thing...assuming that I don't have to be rolled off of the plane once it lands in Chicago).  

Yeah, I've become one of those people who takes photos of their food.  I would maybe feel bad if I wasn't too busy remembering how delicious it was.

We also went back to the fancy French tea store, Kusmi.  I bought more tea, even though I rationed what I bought in Paris so much that I only drank one cup of it in between Paris and Strasbourg (God forbid I should run out).  I am also now officially a tea snob in addition to my previously established coffee snobbery as I bought looseleaf instead of the bags.  Hot beverages are my weakness, apparently.

After that, we were all set to explore when we happened to stumble (literally...I tripped down the steps) upon this tiny, hole-in-the-wall gelato place.  Naturally, once we were inside, we had to get some (it would have been rude not to, and it was super cheap...less than 2 EUROS).  Laura chose cherry, I chose mint chocolate chip.  It was divine, and I am not ashamed to admit that I nearly wept when it was finished (I did refrain from licking out the cup though, as we were in public and I didn't want to embarrass Laura.  I'm regretting that in hindsight though...).  

Once I recovered my composure, we wandered about the city.  We saw the impressive Strasbourg Notre Dame, resisted the smells of a lot of bakeries, and window shopped at the many expensive stores littered throughout.  

The Notre Dame of Strasbourg

Such a shame that autumn comes at the price of a winter.

It rained all day on Sunday, so we binged on Netflix and tried to make quiche.  It was good, but we accidentally bought pizza crust (didn't I say that Laura knows German?...) instead of the flakier pie/pastry crust that quiche is meant to have.  Laura was a bit dismayed; I actually really liked it that way (must be missing my Giordano's back in Chicago.  I renamed it "quizza" and it will go on the menu of my future restaurant (along with the "squawking taco"...everything on the menu has to have a lame name that I find hilarious).

So, there's my most recent weekend!  I cannot believe how quickly time is passing by...I'll be checking out the Christmas markets before I can blink, and then the next thing I know, it will be summer and then I'll be packing my bags home to Chicago and trying to find another adventure.

Midnight in Paris

I don't know how it happened that me, a girl who frequently had to be bodily removed from the house on a Saturday night (as all my Plum house roommates can attest to), managed to schedule two jam-packed weekends of traveling in a row, but I did.  And am so happy I did.  It woul have been such a sin to miss either Oktoberfest or Nuit Blanche.  A year may sound like a long time initially, but with one month gone already, I know it will go much too fast!

Anyway, this time, I was not lucky enough to find a ride share for the way to Paris.  I had to suck it up and pay the exorbitant cost for the train.  However, that worked out for the best because Laura, another au pair working near Stuttgart, and I ended up chatting the entire time and I'm pretty sure we would have annoyed other people in a car with our incessant talk of boys (apparently, there is absolutely no difference in bonding with a fifteen or twenty-four-year-old girl...).

It was also good for me that I ended up traveling with her, as I STILL don't know my way around the Stuttgart train station.  Laura has been in Stuttgart since last November, so she has a pretty good grasp of German and also how public transportation works in Europe.  Our tickets for the train actually weren't next to each other (not even in the same car, or wagon as the Germans say), but I just illegally sat next to her and never was kicked out.  I know, I'm a daredevil (there are some benefits to being an American...my out was just going to be that I read the ticket wrong if it came to that).

We arrived in Paris without incident, though we did have some issues finding the hostel as our cabbie had no idea where the place we were staying was, and just dropped us off in the middle of the street that it was on.  So, from about 10:30-11pm, we wandered about the streets of Paris trying to find someone who spoke enough English (and was sober enough) to direct us toward while we were staying.  It was actually kind of terrifying; Paris is a different city at night, and not necessarily in a good way.  There was an unsettling contrast between the people enjoying a nice meal outside while 50 yards away there were a group of drunk men lying in puddles of their own urine and vomit.  Welcome to Paris, the most refined of all cities and fashion capital of the world.

Anyway, we did eventually find the hostel and once there, had another unexpected surprise.  Since we had booked so late, we had to get a private room (which actually was fine because then there's no worry about theft or who else is going to be in the room with you).  We THOUGHT it would have two twin beds, but we walked in and just started laughing because it was actually just one queen.  If the train ride didn't already make us pals, then two nights in the same bed would do it.  Also worth noting: the shower was SOOOO tiny.  Swear on my life, it was roughly coffin-sized.  But, and least you wouldn't have to wear flip-flops in it, or wait in line behind five hundred other girls trying to make themselves beautiful in the morning.

Once settled in, we decided to just go to bed straight away and then get an early start in the morning.  So, we were out the door at 8 am after taking advantage of the free breakfast in the hostel (the food was edible...the coffee was disgusting).  And then, by 11 AM we had already seen half of the tourist attractions that you are supposed to see the first time you go to Paris.  All thanks to Laura...she was the one figuring out the metro and reading the maps and taking charge.  I was just along for the ride and waiting to have some real coffee.

Laura and I in front of Notre Dame

Saint Chappelle

Inside Notre Dame. There was mass going on and it felt kind of weird to take photos during it. 

After seeing Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and the Louvre (just the outside), we did the only thing I really felt that I had to do in Paris, which was stopping by one of the five hundred million cafes that are every ten feet on the streets (you'd think we would have found one sooner, but when you have that many options to choose from it becomes difficult to just pick one).    We ordered "Madame croque's," which are basically a kind of grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and a fried egg on top, and then I had my long-awaited double-shot of espresso and Laura had tea.  I don't know how I keep hanging out with non-coffee drinkers; guess I should have appreciated having constant coffee buddies in Julia and Mike more.  But it was so delicious, and I truly can call myself a coffee connoisseur now. 

It was worth the wait. 

Following our leisurely lunch, we set off to see a few more sights.  Along the way, we went into this AMAZING french tea shop (called Kusmi, I believe) where I was suckered into buying a box of expensive, but absurdly delicious grapefruit-something-green tea (hey now...tea and coffee are more acceptable addictions than drugs and alcohol, at least, though not much cheaper with how particular I have become).  We also made our way to the Eiffel tower.  It cool to see (I know, such a boring way to describe it, "cool"), and the park around it was lovely, if quite crowded and featuring too many couples groping each other in a public space.

By this point in the afternoon, we were pretty wiped, so we decided to stop by the hostel and drop off our tea before heading out for round two in the evening.  En route, we stopped and bought some macaroons.  They were okay (nothing compared to German chocolate), I wished I had just gotten another coffee (so I did).

Almost as soon as we were back in our room, I received a text from Reillie, saying that her and her friend Matthieu were in the city as well, so we then headed back out and met up with them.  And the Nuit Blanche part of the night was underway.

Nuit Blanche is essentially and all-night art exhibition held across the city.  Museums are free all night, in addition to the street performers, galleries, and exhibits that are set up at various spots around Paris.  It's quite a unique event, and Paris (which never seems to sleep) is the perfect host.

A book describing the exhibits that is of no use to me since I don't know French. 

The first exhibit we went to was "fog art."  Calling it art is a generous term, because all it seemed to be was fake fog all around a square in the downtown area.  It was kind of a cool novelty at first, but we kept losing each other and it was uncomfortable to inhale so we did last there too long.  So then we found the cheapest cafe we could (which was reflected in the quality of the food; though at least you can't really ruin an omelette), and then started walking around looking at other exhibits.

Laura and I in the fog "art"

 

Unfortunately, by this time, it was becoming quite apparent that Laura and I had not really ideally planned our day, at least for this particular weekend in Paris.  While we saw SO much of the city during the day, our energy was waning and feet were killing us from spending 15+ hours walking all around the city.  Reillie and Matthieu, on the other hand, were fresh and ready to go.  So we ended up parting ways at around 11pm, and Laura and I headed back to the hostel.  I fell asleep almost immediately.

A very freaky ghost exhibit. There was music accompanying it.  It was unsettling. 

I don't know what this exhibit was going for but I liked it. 

The Louvre. At night. Kind of spectacular.

The next morning, we moved a bit slower (also decided that showering wasn't worth it), but were still out and about by around 9:30 am (if at a much slower pace).  The only really big touristy attraction that we saw was the Arc de Triomphe (Laura is an architecture major so I think it was more fascinating to her than me, though still quite impressive).  We then searched for a crepe place; a harder job than you would expect since it was Sunday and a lot of places were closed (although a lot more places are open in Paris on Sundays than in Germany).  But we were eventually successful, found a place near Versailles where the coffee was even nicer than the day before.  I had crepes; she had quiche, we basically were French for the hour we were there.

The Arc de Triomphe

Some delicious French food. Note all the bread everywhere. Can't escape it. 

And then it was time to head back to Stuttgart.  We were able to get a ride share on the way back with some dude named Fabian (he wasn't nearly as fun as Lourdes and Chris).  We saved a lot of money, but it took us six hours compared to the four on the train.  Still was worth it though, especially considering that I was hemorrhaging money the entire weekend.

So, that was Paris!  I'm glad that I was able to go and see it, but it wouldn't break my heart if I was never able to go back again.  It's beautiful, and there's a lot to see and do, but historical buildings are not as impressive to me as mountains.  The Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle are gorgeous, but it wasn't the heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, take-your-breath-away awe and beauty that traveling around New Zealand left me with.  Also, Paris really does smell.  Especially at night.  However, one myth I would dispel is that the people are unfriendly, and don't speak much English.  In our experience, you were fine with just English, and while people won't usually go out of their way to be extremely helpful (we did have one waiter who took a fancy to us and was a bit TOO friendly), they weren't rude by any means either.

So, until next time, au revoir!  I think I did a better job taking photos this time and will try to keep it that way.

Don't Go to Oktoberfest if You Want to See Munich

Oktoberfest...where do I begin??  It's a crazy, crazy event and if you want to go to Munich to actually see the city, don't come during the three weeks during which this festival takes over the city.  It makes finding cheap accommodation and transportation nearly impossible.  It's a typical illustration of supply and demand.

Anyway, as a result of higher-than-projected expenses, we had to get creative with our lodging and transportation.  So, we turned to couchsurfing.com and carpooling.

Now, I know that to any well-trained American, partaking in either of these seems like asking to be chopped up into a million pieces and being thrown into a ditch on the side of the road by a manic serial killer (believe me, I've watched more Criminal Minds than you).  But for us, there was an out to each situation if it didn't work out.  We could always book a hostel if we had to (though I'd rather not spend $150 PER NIGHT), and if the people I was riding with seemed sketchy, well, there is a train to Munich (for 100 EURO).

But, luckily, everything ended up working out beautifully.  Especially the carpooling.  This was the avenue that I had the most reservations with, as I was going alone.  At least with the couchsurfing, it would be Reillie and a couple of other girls meeting up with me.  However, I met the COOLEST people doing it this way.

I found the drivers, Chris and Lourdes, via one of the many, many carpooling websites in Europe.  It's a pretty common thing to do here, with the cost of gas being so high and the practicality of Germans.  Anyway, these two were a couple, just a few years older than me, and I want to be best friends with them.  The girl, Lourdes, was originally from Spain, but spent a year in Chicago as a student, and spent her summers in California growing up (two points of interest right there).  She had just moved to Stuttgart two weeks earlier to be with Chris.  He was German, originally from Hamburg but now working in Stuttgart.  He went to high school and university in Minneapolis, and then studied abroad in France and Thailand.  The conversation was amazing, everyone spoke English as the common language (except for the fourth girl in the car who read her book the entire time...), they played awesome music, and their Mercedes would out even the nicest of trains to shame.

Once we arrived in Munich, they dropped me and the other girl off at the "hauptbahnhof" (main train station), where I met up with another girl, Katie.   She is working as an au pair in Berlin.  I had never met her until then, but we were introduced on facebook.  She is a friend of my best friend Abby's cousin Julia (did you get that?).  As I mentioned before, the world becomes much smaller when you're isolated in a foreign country.

Anyway, we took the U-Bahn (thank goodness she knew how it works; I would have been stranded or taking a cab if I was by myself) to where we were staying with the couchsurfing guy that Reillie found.  Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with couchsurfing, it's a website where people all over the world post their willingness to either host, or their need for a host in a specific city.  The whole idea behind it is not only to make traveling more budget-friendly, but also to help people network and make new friends.  (I still see it as largely an opportunity to mooch).

Now, even with another person, we STILL managed to get lost finding our way to this guy's place.  I mean, we weren't really THAT lost, just about a block away but he still had to come rescue us (I actually rather would have been really lost, that's a better story and it's somehow less embarrassing than practically being there and not finding it).  His name was Mike, he's a Costa Rican living in Munich for university (he looks like a German though...blonde hair, blue eyes...wouldn't know he was Costa Rican aside from the Spanish accent).  The differences between a German and a Spanish speaker were immediately obvious, as he greeted each of us, two perfect strangers, with a hug and a kiss on each cheek.  Welcome to Oktoberfest.

There was still quite a bit of time to kill, since we arrived at around 10 pm and Rellie and the girls she was traveling with were still about four hours away.  So, we grabbed a few drinks and chatted.  Katie talked about about Berlin and her host family (mine is better), and Mike told us about his world travels.  He's only 22, but has been to almost 60 countries (more than I will have the energy to see in a lifetime) and speaks Spanish, English, German, Italian, some Russian, and another one that I cannot even remember.  Absurd.  However, I still came off as cool because he really wants to visit New Zealand, but hasn't yet, and I'm kind of an expert on that stupid, perfect country.  He also was a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so that was enough to win him my seal of approval.

Reillie and her traveling companions (two girls from Argentina) arrived at around 2 am and then it was straight off to bed since were were waking up at 6 am to make sure we were in line for a ten by 7:30 am.  Now, if you're like me, and you jump into things without thinking, then these "tents" are a foreign language to you, and conjure images of a very large "Easy Up".  Not quite so.  These tents are HUGE temporary buildings that can hold thousands of people.  Unfortunately, the weekend we were at Oktoberfest is the busiest one of all (apparently all the Italians come then for whatever reason), with a projected attendance of 200,000 people.  It was insane.  We got in line for one of the bigger tents (Paulaner) at 8 am, and stood in line FOR THREE HOURS.  It actually really was kind of awful if you have personal space issues (as I do) because, especially as you get closer to the entrance, you're like sardines in a tin.

Just when I was ready to say forget Oktoberfest, we FINALLY got inside and ordered our first beers.  And when I say we got inside, we were able to sit down at a table outside the tent in the beer garden.  All that waiting and we couldn't even get all the way inside to the music.  I wish I could say I was disappointed, but that beer is really strong and once the first one was done, it all gets a bit fuzzy.  But I know we had fun.  We made friends with some guys from Switzerland (they had a lot more money to spare than us poor American au pairs), and people from Italy, and Germany, and Australia (No Kiwis, unfortunately) and all in all just had a blast talking to people and hearing stories, and yelling and singing and just having a good old time.  I wish I could give you more of a description, but the anecdotes are coming back slowly and not all at once.

Anyway, I lasted until about 3 pm, and then realized that perhaps I should have stopped at 2 liters of beer rather than going for a third.  So, I made my way back to where we were staying, took a nap from about 4-6:30, woke up feeling awesome, and started drinking rum in preparation for a Spanish party that was going on nearby.  That ended up being SOO much fun.  I remember more Spanish than I thought, can understand most of it, and just like listening to Spanish music.  We danced, and talked and no one was in bed earlier than 3 am.

But we paid for it the next day.  It was essentially a wasted day until we dragged ourselves to McDonald's at 3 pm(felt WAY sicker after eating that, actually).  Not anyone's proudest day.

And then it was time to go home.  I met back up with Chris and Lourdes, we traded stories, Facebook friended each other (Not even joking, I want to be real friends), and then I was back in Kornwestheim, probably looking worse for wear, but really feeling happy.

Because it was exactly how I predicted; the first two weeks were so rough.  It's really hard to be in a new country and not know the language or anyone there, but as soon as you get out and start meeting people and appreciating where you are instead of wishing for what you can't have, everything gets better.  I felt normal again; I adore this family, but there's a lot to be said for the restorative properties of goofing off with peers. 

Also, only managed to take two photos while I was there. I'll do better with future travels. 

That is what one liter of 10 euro beer looks like. 

Reillie, myself, and Katie. 

Stay tuned, for next weekend's Paris saga!

German Birthdays

Now, before I begin to describe the 36 hour insanity that was Oktoberfest, I felt like I should briefly describe a few German birthday traditions.  Mostly because there is at least one that I would like to bring back with me to the states.

This particular birthday was for Maja.  She turned eight, and I think seeing her excitement made me realize how much more exciting birthdays are when you are young.  I think part of it is that you get real gifts, which are much more exciting to open than an envelope with cash or a check is.  Also, it's nice to actually look forward to getting older; I'm only 23 yet I called my birthday this year the "third annual celebration of my 21st."  I've already run out of fun birthdays.  Now I'm just getting old.

BUT, anyway, getting back on track, we all woke up REALLY early (5:45/6am) so that Maja could open all her presents.  She made quite a haul, and I'm allowed to say that because I wrapped most of those presents.  Naturally, it looked like a creature lacking opposable thumbs had done the job.  Tim's birthday is in November, and then it's Christmas, so I'm either going to be a pro at wrapping gifts by the end or they have a year's worth of poorly wrapped presents to endure.

Following the extended present wrapping, we had a breakfast of "maultaschen."  It's basically a German ravioli.  It has its root as a sneaky way to eat meat on Friday.  It looks like just spinach inside, but really, it's mostly sausage and bacon wrapped in noodles.  It was pretty good; we ate them cold but I think it might have been a bit better heated up.

Then came my favorite part: cake!  Yes, Germans have cake for breakfast.  But, don't worry, they also have it again in the evening.  Unfortunately for my taste buds (but to the relief of my skinny jeans), I missed out on the other cakes (yes, plural...and also lasagna and casserole) because I was en route to Munich for her party that night, but I at least opened my day with a chocolate and strawberry mousse cake in the morning.

Anyway, moral of the story is: Americans, let's have two cakes for our birthdays.  Start the day off properly, and then end it well too.

My "Host" Family

Hey!  Sorry for the huge gap between posts; I haven't had a ton of free time, with Oktoberfest and then Paris on back to back weekends (and then in-between some scarlet fever and doctor's visits to keep things interesting...).  I actually have a lot to say and report on, but my tendency to write out everything by hand before posting kind of slows down the process.  So first will be just this general post, then another rather general one, then Oktoberfest, and lastly, Paris.  Like I said, everything except for Paris was written at least a week ago; I just haven't yet taken the time to update here.  But, here we are:

I truly despise the term "host" family; it makes me feel like a parasite, and it feels too formal for a situation in which you're supposed to become a part of the family.  Anyway, everyone keeps asking for more details on what the family is like, and rather than say the same many times, I'm just going to address it here.  Now, keep in mind that I've only known them for two full weeks, so this description is just past a first impression, relatively speaking.

The mom, Nicole, is one of the kindest human beings who I have ever had the privilege of meeting.  She's extremely open, dedicated to her kids, and always willing to help me in anyway with the transition from the states to Germany and her family.  I really feel included as a member of the family rather than just a nanny/chauffeur.  She's also really very tolerant about things that I am admittedly terrible at (AKA...not getting lost and ironing).  Nicole is also one of the hardest-working people I have ever met; she works for two companies, and has her own business AND is working on starting another.  If I ever feel over-scheduled again in my life, I just need to remember what her planner looks like and I will stop feeling sorry for myself.

The oldest child, Caro, is fifteen.  She is the one who I was initially most worried about bonding with.  I assumed that, since she is older, and this family has had a lot of au pairs, that she would be sick of having a full-time babysitter, or rebellious or just not keen on me being there in general.  So naturally, me being me, I basically asked her that straight away, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was completely wrong.  Caro said she sees how much easier having another adult makes life for Nicole, and also says that it's good for Maja.  Also, she apparently likes practicing her English, and since I like to talk, it's not a problem for me either.  Caro is also super open, and funny, and our mutual love of animals (and boys...) creates a solid foundation and a lot of talking points.

Tim, the middle child and only boy, is thirteen.  I know him the least, as he is the quietest of the bunch (at least around me), but I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him.  He is a very sweet boy, a good older brother to Maja, and not difficult in the slightest.  I'm still working on connecting more with him (without crossing over into being TOO obnoxious and terrifying him) and as the weeks go on I feel better about it.  He tolerates my awkward attempts at conversation, and my interrogation on life as a German teenager (does everyone wear their hair like that?  That jacked is weird, right?).  He also loves Skyfall and James Bond, so we at least have that going for us, and he promised to watch Lord of the Rings with me at some point.  Obviously, there will be no major issues.

And then there's Maja, the baby of the family.  She just turned eight, and is hilarious.  I already adore her, but that's nothing unusual; I'm fairly certain it's impossible to NOT fall in love with this child.  Aside from driving, spending time with her is the biggest part of my day.  Which still really isn't even that much; Maja has a lot of friends and spends most of her time with them, either at this house or theirs.  I'm mostly us the the homework enforcer, and part-time Monopoly and Mamma Mia buddy.  From stories I've heard from family members, Maja is almost a carbon copy of how I was at her age; obsessed with animals, feisty, and just so much fun (not to toot my own horn or anything...).  She has me roped into some game where we alternate meowing and patting each other's head.  I'm pretty sure she made it up (her English always seems to disappear when I ask that...), and I'm not sure if I should be encouraging it but it keeps her occupied in between board games.

And, with me being me, this description of the family would not be complete without a mention of Lina, the resident canine.  She's a very cute, three-year-old Spaniel mix that they rescued from Spain.  She's great with the kids, obedient when it suits her, and a good walking buddy (it looks a lot less weird when I wander aimlessly around town with a dog rather than alone).  If anything, she's probably too cute because people always want to pet her and start asking me questions in German (I just smile and laugh and then start moving again).  LIna was actually a nice bonus for choosing this family; my heart is still a little broken to leave my beautiful Jazz behind (again! I am a terrible dog mother), so it's nice that there is still a dog here to ease me through withdrawal.

Anyway, as you can see, I've landed myself in quite a nice situation so far as the family is concerned.  I read about all the potential pitfalls before coming here, and I've heard about some firsthand since being here (one woman refuses to talk to her au pair...she just texts her what she wants her to do), and experienced none of those.  Part of that may be because I'm the 13th au pair for the family (Nicole gave me a handbook...), so everything runs like a well-oiled machine, but I also think it's also because they're a tight family, and having an au pair doesn't mean that Nicole has any less to do with the kids.  They respect me because they respect her and I think in a lot of other situations that I have heard of, where the kids either refuse to listen at all or blow off the au pair constantly, it's because the parents are absent and the au pair isn't really equipped to be the disciplinarian.  I would hate to be in one of those houses.  The transition was rough enough when my family was amazing so I can only imagine how it was for people who weren't being helped through it all.

And once again, I'm terrible with photos.  Will update this with pictures of everyone when I can!