Chicago

Chicago. Breathtaking, overwhelming, beautiful. A city full of music and art, theatre, museums, Jazzbars, parks and green areas. On sunday I went there for the first time. 50 minutes on a train, just as huge as everything else in this country (and just as cold...) until I saw the Skyscrapers. I prefer to get to know a new city on my own, so I walked  around  for about four hours, amazed about the the hugeness and how beautiful this city is. Of course I cannot give any "guide tips" so far, but I can tell what I've seen.

I started at the Train Station and walked to the Willis Tower (you can go up to the highest floor and gain a 360° view, still have to do that!), followed Jackson Boulevard until I got to the Art Institute which I am so excited to visit soon. Next stop: Millenium Park. You can hear the orchestra practicing already minutes before you enter the Park, and then, in the middle of all the skyscrapers is just a beautiful Park, full of benches and music to take a seat and enjoy the atmosphere, which is great, even if there are a lot of people. But in general it didn't felt like super crowded or something, just very kindly. And in the middle of the park: The Bean (or "The Mirrorsausage" as my brother called it). Impressive, somehow weird, and just nice to look at. I took a break, ate my peanutbutter-and-jelly-sandwich (it's really a thing! And it's more tasty than expected) and listend to some Jazz. Then I went to the Chicago Theatre you know from pictures I guess, but at noon it's just not that impressive than at night haha. I visited Daley Plaza, a location I recognized from "The Lake House" so I immediatly loved it. Need to rewatch that movie soon! I walked along the nutella café which is, to be honest, a disappointment I guess. The queue is 50 ft long, and when you see what the people sitting inside got on their plastic plate (plastic silverware and cheap furniture inclusive) you don't understand why. It's like normal cake, decorated with some nutella on top. Conclusion: I won't go there haha. On Michigan Ave I ended up in some shops that were way too expensive so I chose some smaller Streets and just saw beautiful churches and houses. But the best was the Riverwalk, which goes real close along the River. You nearly can't hear the cars and the city anymore, just enjoy the view, escape, embrace.

With tired feet and a tired head from assimilating all these new impressions I drove home in that gigantic train. Next time I really want to see the Navy Pier and the planetarium, and everything else! So excited to go there again xx

Love,

Elske

Settle in, settle down

The airplane wasn't comfortable at all (just read that Lea, who went to school with me and spends her au pair year in Australia, flew business class, ugh, jealous!) but when I realized that the ocean beneath us was Lake Michigan and the city behind the clouds Chicago, everything else didn't matter anymore. I was nervous and excited to meet my family, to start this year, to live on the other side of the world. "Welcome to the windy city", our Pilot said, "the weather is... windy."

My Hostdad and Pierce (12) picked me up, holding a big orange WELCOME ELSKE-sign. I felt so glad to finally meet them! At home Pierce, my oldest, gave me a housetour and with Dominika (their current au pair which stays until Thursday to instruct and show me everything) we played a bit Baseball outside. At 4pm my youngest, Skye (7) came home from Camp. She had told her parents that she wanted me to wait in front of the house for her which made me so happy! When she arrived she showed me her room and we read a book and played a lot. It's incredible to be with her, she is so smart and the opposite of shy! I'll spend most of the time with her (because Pierce prefers to play with kids from the neighborhood and Saige (10) has a very full schedule doing ice skating and Musical Theatre.) and it is just awesme to start bonding with her.

Friday evening we went out for Dinner where I met my Hostmum, Saige, Grandma and Grandpa. My first day in the new world was just awesome, and I'm so greatful to be here!

On Saturday Dominika and I played a lot with Skye and went to the Park (the "Mooney") and in the afternoon, when Dominika was off duty and went out to meet friends, my Hostdad, Skye and I did a bike ride to the Botanic Garden, which was a long ride but the weather was amazing and the Botanic Garden itself worth a million visits! That night we grilled in the garden, I made my first S'mores (over burning glass, ugh, it's so fancy to live here) and we watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", which takes place in Chicago, with the whole family. Sunday started with playing under the spinklers with my girls. We went to the Mall (which was outdoors, surprise!) where Skye had a birthday party in Funtopia and I could buy some stuff I needed. And I need to shop clothes, can't wait! I already searched for some thrift shop and vintage stores in Chicago.

On Monday Skye left very early for Farm Camp, the first overnight Camp she's going to. She'll stay there until Friday which is why this week is easy to settle in all my work in the house and to get an orientation and overview of everything. A calm first week. Dominika and I went to Trader Joe's which is a small grocery store with a lot of biological and organic products to buy the food for the week. Then Dominika showed me how to do the laundry, we tidied up together and made Lunch for Saige tomorrow and Dinner for the us, Saige, Pierce and a friend of him. Later we went out with the Dogs which are so cute (normally they've got three but Lola is currently at the Trainer's)

Best thing I found out so far: The girls love doing hairstyles, and I just love getting my hair done! Perfect combination. I am really happy to be here! The children are adorable, my family eats healthy and organic, I can settle in easily, Dominika is really really nice and shows me everything, I feel free to be able to ask everything anytime...

It's exactly what I dreamed of! But yeah, the real work hasn't started yet.

A wonderful start for that big journey ahead.

Love,

Elske

departure - for real!

2.25 Hours left until departure. I'm abit nervous meeting my host family, I guess we all are. The last days at the New York Training School we had some more classes concerning childcare and even a first aid Training including CPR given by Bruce who was quite rude and somehow really funny, so at least at the beginning it was nice, later we only watched some boring videos and fell asleep because karaoke the night before was pretty exhausting haha (between two or three great singers it was just a lot of screaming).  

After Lunch we took some Buses to NYC yesterday. It might seem stupid to say that but I'm overwhelmed how american America is. Along the streets (outside of a big city) there are lots of beautiful sceneries, houses, parks, signs of Diners that deserve to be in a music video. In NYC our tour guide Tony wore some high-end-fancy glasses guided us to the Statue of Liberty that looks like a miniature salt shaker, World Trade Center, Central Park West, Times Square and Rockefeller Center - the Top of the Rock is really really breathtaking. Up the 67th floor you cannot see any human being down the streets anymore. It's a gorgeous feeling, I could've stayed there for hours. 

Afterwards Alicia and I discovered 5th Avenue, ate a typical real slice of Pizza at the best Pizza in town (at least that's what the sign said above the pizza place) and bought a Double Chocolate Vanilla Cone at one of these ice cream trucks, not aware that they're way too expensive (but tbh I have no feeling for the metric here yet, so maybe it was only a little bit too expensive). Meeting at Empire State Building (which we didn't recognized when we were in front of it because you can't see the recognizable top) we took - completely tired and with hurting feet - the bus home at 9pm. And, well, luckily we've been on bus #2! Cause bus #5 has had a crash. No one got hurt, but they had to wait for the police and a new bus and got home really late. 

This morning we had breakfast at 5:30am and departed one hour later in the most luxury and comfortable bus I've ever been on! It was hardcore chic, ugh, amazing to get some more sleep. So now here we are, at LaGuardia airport, sitting in big black chairs and waiting for our Flights to depart.I feel like now it's really beginning. The TS had just been a delay, now it's getting serious. I feel nervous to meet a family that I technically don't really know despite the Skype calls and everything, and boy I'm going to live with them for a whole year! Yes, it is still unreal. But I'm super excited and just unbelievably happy that it is starting right now! 

Love,

Elske 

Always dance with the South American Girls

Damn, girl! I'm here, it's real. Anyone to pinch me?

Back home in Germany it is 3:42 AM, in New York actually quarter to ten in the evening. I'm not even a little bit tired, just breathing in everything that happened today, ugh, I'm between two worlds and none seems to be within reach.

My Mom and my Brother even skipped work yesterday to bring me to the airport and my Dad delayed his vacation, oh my! It was so lovely at the airport, after my Check-in we drank some Coffee and the Goodbye was just full of heart but not too dramatic. At the airport everything went super well (first time I flew all on my own) and the moment the airplane lifted off the Realization hit me like a bunch of butterflies scrimmaging in my head and body. I felt amazing. It's really happening, I thought. It really does.

So the Flight from Düsseldorf to Dublin was super easy, especially because I had a seat at the window. In Dublin there was a lot of control and I had to wait long times until a woman asked me a bunch of questions about my purposes in America and then I went on. Tbh, yes, I was proud to find and answer everything on my own, because... you know, independence and stuff haha. The flight from Dublin to New York took eight hours - time to watch Beauty and the Beast, Deadpool and Life. Landing in Newark a sweet CCAP  lady picked me up and together with Imogen and Alicia from England we took an uber to the University where the Training School takes place (two more hours In the car, duh). At the TS we moved in our bedrooms (I share mine with Alicia), turned off the air conditioner - honestly, why do they like it that cold inside? We had to wear a pullover and scarf the first night haha - and met some more new people (Camilla and Emily from Denmark) when there was a first meeting and some pizza for those who arrived the last two hours. After that we five girls talked a lot, shared information about us, our host family, our expectations, and went to bed when it was 3 am at home. Btw not even a bit of Jetlag so far!

The next day we went to breakfast at 8 am, classes started at 9 am. Everything here is SO American: the buildings, the area, the yellow School buses, the people... there's even a Starbucks on the campus! Just recognizing a lot from movies like "HSM" or "awkward" haha. In my class which is full of people who go to Illinois too, there's a sweet teacher called Joan who's super funny and ther are a lot of breaks, so even the school part is alright. I met Mónica from Spain and Emil from Denmark and during the breaks we enjoyed the sun (our classroom was air conditioned as well - of course). Next to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner where I ate way too much because I needed to try everything they added a Candy Picnic last night! Candies from all over the world and afterwards some great music to dance! Not commenting on how German people only "dance" when Atemlos is played I joined the South American and South African girls which are a blast! And well, being told that I dance as if I've got Brazilian blood may be one of the most wonderful compliments I ever got. When the music stopped at 10.30 pm we were sweaty but not tired at all so we sat down on the grass and shared some words, phrases and just a great time! It is wonderful meeting so many interesting and awesome people!

I can't say how happy I am to be here!

Love,

Elske