Hamburg

I love exploring Germany. Every city is so different. So after four months breathing no sea air, I thought it was about time to head north. Here are some of my favourite photos and experiences from Hamburg, a little trip I made by myself in June.

Check out this awesome underground station which changes colour!

The town hall of Hamburg is spectacular.

 As an ocean loving girl, I spent a heap of time at the port and on boats, making the most of the sea.

Look at the sweet lighthouse!

Even though it was quite windy, it was great to hang out on the beach for awhile.

Exploring the lovely suburb of Blankenese.

Hamburg is vastly different from inland, Stuttgart, but it's interesting in it's own way. I loved walking through the Elbe tunnel (it's underwater), visiting the fish market and just taking my time to explore the city.

See you again Hamburg.

Leaving an Au Pair Job is Hard!

Leaving any job is hard. Even if it's horrible, I still feel awful about quitting. It's even worse when you live with the family you work for. For my au pair job in Germany I had to give four weeks notice. All I could think about leading up to "the talk" with my host family was how that four weeks were probably going to be the most awkward of my life. 

What if they scream at me or make me work thirty extra hours a week because I'm leaving? What if I'm not invited to family BBQs anymore? Or even worse, they kick me out right then and there. These thoughts honestly ran through my mind for days. But I knew it was my time to move on, so I had to be brave. 

First I spent some time thinking about my decision. Am I just homesick? Do I really want to leave or do I only need a break? Is there something myself or my host parents could change to make me want to stay? After careful consideration to these questions and many more, I decided that it would be best for me to resign with grace (as soon as possible).

I started working on an official resignation letter. I know au pairing is quite informal, but it is Germany after all. Plus, in my contract it did state I needed to give written notice of my intention to leave. I didn't want to get too personal with this letter, so I wrote a generic nanny position resignation letter. 

I am an emotional person. I realised I would need to maintain a business like attitude towards the situation otherwise things could get ugly. I didn't want to make it harder for my host parents, or myself for that matter. I hoped that my last four weeks would pass by as normal as could be and without fuss. I explained that I truly did want to stay in contact. This was a personal matter, nothing to do with them. That I was homesick and having surgery in a foreign land made me realise I do just want to go home. Sometimes you need your Mum, even if you are twenty three and on the other side of the world!

Yet with all my good intentions and professionalism, it didn't go quite as planned. I ended up packing my things that night (last night). The door slammed behind me as I was not allowed to even utter good bye to the girl I cared for during those six months. If that's the treatment I get for having one week off because I had appendicitis and surgery, then I guess I'm not so much a part of the family as I was led to believe.

I am not bitter. I just have to move on with my life. Of course I will miss caring for one pretty special three year old, I will miss the friends I've made. But at the end of the day, New Zealand is home. I love traveling, but it all just becomes a bit too much sometimes. And that's okay. I don't see it as failing, just moving on to something better!

Sunrise from bedroom window in Germany. 

Making Friends Abroad

Photo:NBC

One of the scariest, yet most freeing things, is stepping off that plane, into a new city without knowing a single soul. It's a fresh start. That's how I choose to view it anyway. It's exciting to know your possibilities are endless, that you have no idea who you might meet tomorrow. Yet, at the same time it's terrifying to feel alone. I'm so thankful for skype! Traveling is about being open, to new experiences and new people. 

Here are some ways I make friends in a new city;

1. Get on Meetup 

Meetup is an awesome website. You make a profile then search for groups in your area. I have used Meetup with great success while being an au pair. I met some pretty awesome people. The positive is you are all in the same boat, so it's nice to talk to other expats who understand the struggles of moving abroad. Plus you often find out about activities and events you wouldn't normally realise are on. 

2. Go to church...

I understand church is not everyone's thing. But if you are inclined that way, or even if you're not, why not seek out a church (or any other religious gathering) near you. I have made some of my best friends at churches. Normally people should at least greet you, and from there you can ask about small groups to become part of the church community. 

3. Facebook/online communities

Just do a quick search for your area, for example I found a group on Facebook specifically for Au pairs in Stuttgart. I joined this group and people would post when they were free to hang out. I made a great friend by randomly messaging her after seeing her post on the page, and now we hang out all the time. I also found another group for expats in Stuttgart which had over 10,000 members. 

4. Use any connection you can

If you are in a host family, become friends with your host family's friends, through these people you might meet others who you get along with well. It's all about expanding your social circle. It might seem strange at first to be friends with people 20 years older than you, but you just have to get over it. When I was in the park as an Au pair with my host kid, I would say hello to other nannies and mothers. It was nice to see a familiar face every so often, even if they didn't turn into lasting friendships. Get to know your neighbours if you can, you never know when you could use their help!

5. Just say yes

Say yes to everything. When I first moved to Germany I was going to a running group with my host grandfather. Yep, that's right I was running with the over sixties on Monday nights.  But you know what, it was fun, it forced me out of the house, I saw more of my town and improved my German.

6. Language courses

Language courses are really a win win situation, you meet others learning the language, you bond over the struggles of grammar and you should end up improving your skills...Unless you are like me and end up sitting in class with an Australian talking about MTV. But hey, at least I made a friend. 

7. Enjoy your own company

At the end of the day, sometimes you are just going to have to entertain yourself. Find things you can do alone. I love being alone so it's no problem for me. Grab a book and go to the park, take a walk, get a drink at a cafe, go sightseeing, or to an art gallery, anything to get out of the house. And you never know, you might make a friend along the way. 

Hopefully this gave you some ideas on how to get social. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and exciting things shall happen. And be proud of yourself! 

A Day in Vienna

Lucky, lucky me. I got a couple of weeks off to do a bit of traveling. I decided to go to Vienna, Austria. This beautiful city holds a special place in my heart as I was an AFS exchange student here for a year during high school. Returning again after five years was truly like coming home. I had forgotten so many details, so I loved rediscovering the old and uncovering the new. Here are a few photos of one day in Vienna.

I started my day with a lovely breakfast and wandered down to Stephansplatz, it's always buzzing with both tourists and locals around here. 

I checked out the cathedral and opera house, before heading to the parliament. 

Of course I needed some food! Palatschinken (thin pancakes) filled with nutella and coffee it was. Cake may also have been involved...

Some more walking as I was in search of specific bank, I ended up crossing this bridge (and getting slightly lost for a while there). 

Made it back in time to catch a glimpse of this gorgeous sunset!

And it wasn't long before I ended up at a winery on top of a hill. 

Thank you Vienna for a brilliant time! You were just what I needed.