PB & O's

The last twenty four hours or so have sort of revolved around things and people that have ever so warmly reminded me of home:

Last night after supper and cake, I wasn't really tired but was just feeling a bit worn out. I do not really know why really, but I just was... I suppose maybe it's still the adjusting to the new surroundings and everything. Anyway, I decided to cozy up in bed with Sunny, my monkey and forever cuddle partner, and watch a movie. Something I did quite often during the summer. I decided to watch Leap Year, one of Sunny's and my favorites. It did not fail to make me smile and make my heart happy.

I slept in today until 10:30 this morning, stayed in my pajamas for a good while before showering and getting ready for the day.

After lunch we went to visit with another family in Hollabrunn who has also hired an au pair from the USA. I cannot even begin to explain how lovely it was to speak with her and exchange stories. Stories from the past, present, and of future adventures we would both love to have while we are here in Europe. Their house is just a mere five minute walk from mine, so it is comforting to know someone from the States is close-by whenever I need a taste of home.

Speaking of tastes, that's where the next one comes in. I finally decided to bust out the peanut butter and Oreos. I've thought about it a few times before, but decided I could hold off. Well, no longer, my friends. I don't know what it was...maybe a twinge of hunger, maybe the fact that it was 8:15 pm and I was already falling asleep and needed a pick-me-up, or maybe it was the excitement that carried over from the lovely afternoon visit. Haha. Anyway, I was good and practiced some contro; I only had three. Which is really good for me.

Then I decided to actually read/watch some of the current events going on back in the States, in particular storm Isaac and the Republican National Convention. I listened to one of the speeches and watched several other news clips and interviews of various people. It's important to stay informed and have an opinion, so I am going to do my best to accomplish both of those things.

Then I had a great Skype session with the best and my most favorite lab partner ever!!!! We kept in pretty good contact over the summer, so it was great to talk with her and see her face for a bit on this side of the pond. Yay!

To cap things off, in a really random way, I got an e-mail telling me that I had a new follower in Twitter. I clicked on it, and it was a married couple that lives is Nashville, TN who make some darn good music that I've been listening to for the past...oh, nine songs. You should check them out: Carolina Story . 

Alas, I suppose these are the facts that show how I am indeed a bit homesick. 

But it's really okay.

There is no reason to worry or be anxious; for I know that the Lord is at work in me, molding and making me exactly the way He wants during this time. There will always be easy days and there will always be hard days, but I know He is there with me during all of them. And for that I am truly thankful and blessed.

Barbies in Pink and Monsters in the Mud

Hallo hallo!

So far I have been to the job office, the city hall building, the bank, the pharmacy, and Spar, which is like a Super Walmart (do they even make non-Super Walmarts anymore?), and the park/woods in Hollabrunn . A fine start I should like to think. I think the language barrier is still inhibiting me a bit from just walking into any old shop, not to mention that I really have not had time for it yet. Alas, I know I eventually will :)

On Monday I started getting all the official things taken care of, so that was good. Legal buildings are as stuffy and hot here as they usually are in the states, haha. For the rest of the morning I was home with Elisabeth and Elena while Kristina was at Kindergarten. I started to get acclimated to the kitchen and the different recipes and ways of cooking that they have here, which was really interesting. I was shown how to make dumplings with lard and grits and some other ingredients, a very simple soup with the soup cubes, and fried bread crumbs with butter and sugar. I'll be making the girls' and my lunch most of the days, which appears to be the largest meal here.

Pause here to make a note of something: The eating patterns are quite different here than back home. Breakfast is average sized but still on the smaller side; lunch, or the mid-day meal, is the largest and heaviest of the meals. Finally dinner, so far anyway, has been fairly light consisting of bread, deli meat and cheeses, vegetables, and possibly cake afterwards. This is probably a lot healthier than in the States, but it's probably going to take a bit to get used to. However, hopefully after this I'll have developed some healthier habits. Keep your fingers crossed ;)
Un-pause.

The rest of Monday was filled with browsing the girls' rooms, the kitchen, and the rest of the house, which has not ceased to continue. And I cannot forget to mention Barbie. She, Ken and all her friends, have been constant playmates for us as well:) Also, the girls have been quite intrigued with all my shoes. I brought my pair of black sequinned Toms, which they refer to as the "disco shoes." I also have a few pairs of high-heeled sandals, which they both tried on that night before they went up to bed. Oh my, what a sight to see them walking around in those! Kristina especially; I was holding her hands just to make sure she wouldn't fall and break an ankle. There is a rack I have for all of them, but I turned my back for a few minutes to talk to Elisabeth, and the next thing I know is all me shoes are lined up in pairs all over my carpet...I guess they just wanted to get a clearer look at them. Haha. Now I'm really glad I brought them all :)

Yesterday, was my first day having the girls on my own. Elisabeth has been so kind and thoughtful of my jet-lag, so I got to sleep in a little bit the past couple of days. I woke up (later than I had planned - story of my LIFE!) and walked down to the pharmacy (first time going somewhere on my own!) to pick up Elena for the rest of the day. She loves to talk and tell me stories and adventures that she wants to have. Hopefully we'll get to indulge in some of those soon ;) On the way home she showed my their school, which they will start attending on Monday, at which point my actual routine will start.

After we picked up Kristina from Kindergarten, I made spaghetti for lunch, which was a simple and quick thing to start with. Not to mention delicious and was finished without a problem. I even had to cook more noodles--good thing the water was still pretty hot!!

These ladies are very creative and love to draw and color and make things! It's so great to see their creative minds at work and always wanting to make new things! I have a book of 365 different craft ideas, so they were thumbing through that and found toothpick dolls. They both ran to find the yarn and toothpicks and had a blast doing it, especially Elena; Kristina still needed a bit of help with hers. Once the craft corner was done, we headed out for our first adventure: the Wasserpark (water park). It is a park that's basically a bunch of woods with a little creak and trails the run through it. I'm not totally sure how big it actually is, because we have stayed in one primary area: our house. Elena had been back there at one time with some friends and they had built a little house with fallen limbs and branches; however, it had since collapsed or was knocked over. Slightly upset, she declared that we had to build it again! And boy, oh boy, have we built it again! It was honestly so fun to be outside with them exploring the woods and learning some "survival" skills, haha.

I was the same sort of thing this morning, except I woke up when I wanted to (yay!) and picked both girls up from the pharmacy. We had craft time, during which we were making cards and I was drawing roses, my signature creation when it comes to drawing anything. Elena was being very secretive about what she was doing, and I realized at the end why. She runs out of the room for a few minutes and comes back with two envelopes, containing more than just paper, with my name on them. She tells me, "Pick one." So I do and inside is a very sweet card and a necklace, quite reminiscent of the ones I made as a little girl. I love it!

After lunch we headed back to the Wasserpark to keep working on our house. I must tell you, I feel most special as I am the only adult who has ever been back there with them and have seen the house. We said it would be our little secret, so I'll have to ask special permission to post pictures of it ;) Elena even built a little gate a few meters from the entrance because she really doesn't want anybody to find it. Sooo cute! Kristina like taking the sticks and sweeping the dirt and I'm usually the one the brings up the big branches for us to use for the walls and the benches that we've managed to put together. We even have a pet snail named Nessie who will live in an orange container we found up there too. Oh my word, it is so great. What kid, or adult for that matter, doesn't enjoy a good hide-out in the woods? I know not one. The amusing part came at the end of the time in the woods today. Elena wanted to make a special passage across the creak that would be our special bridge to get up to the house quicker. She brought two thick logs down, about a meter or so in length, to lay across the water. They didn't make it all the way to the other side, but far enough across that it looked like she'd be able to reach the other side by one long step off the edge of the branch. She wanted to try really quickly before we started back home for the afternoon, so I let her. Well...she didn't quite make it. What made it even worse/funnier was that the ground was pretty soft from the rain last night. You can probably guess. One foot sank all the way down into the mud; it literally covered her foot all the way up to her ankle. The other one just got wet all the way through with only a bit of mud. She's oh-no-ing and starting to get a bit upset, about to cry really, and I'm laughing at her but trying to contain myself. But failing, really. I tell her it's really okay and that we'll just wash them off once we're home. Haha...I haven't seen that muddy of a foot/shoe in a while, not to mention on a cute little girl! She says, "One foot is squishy and one is heavy!" Haha. I can only imagine!

We have another 'foot/hand/knee washing party' in the shower, and then I get to work on the shoes outside in the garden. Ha...wow. It was a lot of mud, but I got it all off and set them to dry in the sun. Her yellow socks on the other hand...yeah, I don't think those will be yellow again anytime soon :/ I told her she was very brave for trying it out, and not to feel bad about it. I've told them the last couple days not to feel badly about getting little scrapes and scratches or getting dirty when playing because it's a sign that you've played hard and had a good time! There's always the tub for washing and ointment and Band-aids for quick fixes.

Well, those have been the extent of my adventures so far. I am understanding more German each day and am feeling more confident in my speaking, which still isn't very much, but still...it's a start. The girls tell me I'm doing well anyway, so that makes me feel good :) I've been talking with friends from Dundee to try and start planning some trips and things, so I hope I can find so cheap deals and the best routes and ways of traveling! Ahh, exciting stuff!
Thanks for all your continued support and prayers as this new experience unfolds itself!
God bless!

~Sarah

After Poland comes Austria

At last, I have reached the place I shall call home for the next year. And it feels spectacular!

The flight to Vienna from Warsaw was short-- just over 1 hour or so, I believe. This one was highly uneventful compared to the one prior. I had a window seat and then rest of my row was empty, so that was nice. I must say, Austria's landscape appealed more to my taste than Poland did, so sorry about that, Poland :/ Haha. There were hills and mountains and scatterings of trees and forests, unlike the seemingly flat land fields that literally looked like everyone owned and operated their own plant nursery the rows of trees were so precise. What can I say, I enjoy a little spontaneity in the local of my foliage. But hey, maybe the do all run plant nurseries, so if that's the case, me deepest apologies, Poland ;) Cheers!

Upon exiting the plane, I followed the signs that had a little baggage symbol and that said "exit Vienna," because after all that's what I was doing: getting my baggage and leaving Vienna from there. The other sign said it was for transfers and directed people to go through customs and security again (what I did in Poland). Right. So I followed the exit Vienna sign, but as I'm walking up these steps, I look back a few times, and no one is following me. I think, "Surely there has got to be someone else on that flight that isn't transferring to another plane and that Vienna was their final destination..." Um...not the case. I literally was in a hallway with doors going off every which way and signs/symbols that I only vaguely remembered from my time in the UK and Ireland. As I'm walking, I see a sign that says "all passports" and so I try and go back the way I came to just go through the other way...and I can't. I turned enough times that the doors were locked and the only way I could go was forward. I think, "Great. I'm screwed...I'm either trapped here, or if I do get out, they're going to throw me out of the country because I never got my passport stamped when I got here." As I was walking through the barren hallway, I felt like I was breaking every rule in the book when you enter a foreign country, and praying that I would run into somebody along the way to ask if I was going the right way. Naturally, that did not happen.

I got to the baggage area, tossed my three suitcases on the dolly, and continued to follow the exit signs, praying Andi and the girls would be there and that I was headed in the right direction...! And what do you know, I was! They were right there, right in front of me when I walked out...literally the first people I see :) Ahh, what a relief!

We exchanged long awaited proper greetings and hugs and were all smiles! Elena made me a really neat collage that I will treasure forever... I love the Zebra!!

We had about an hour ride back to Hollabrunn, so that was a good time to relax a little bit and start to unwind from all the heavy traveling. I learned that the au pair has a specific spot in their van, so I naturally filled it, haha. It's in the back row, middle ;) The whole way home, the girls were very chatty and telling me all sorts of stories...it was nice to just listen to them, I was almost too tired to talk. When we got to the house, I met Elisabeth which I was also highly anticipating. They gave me a tour of the house and started to show me certain details about this and that, but not too much too soon.

Once it was time for bed, I was more than ready. I had to search in my cases a bit to find some pajamas and some other things and finally crawled in. However, I couldn't help staying up a bit to journal and praise God for getting me here safe and for all he has in store for this next year!!

I woke up feeling well rested and then got ready for the day: a BBQ at Andi's father's house with a few other family members. It was so so nice. Their garden (backyard) is absolutely incredible; I wish I had taken a picture now that I'm thinking of it. Oh my word... a small in-ground pool, multiple tables and chairs, wild plants, tame plants, coverings to blocks out some sun, a handmade grill..so so cool! The girls and I had some time to ourselves here, so we talked and laughed and continued getting to know each other :) The family was very warm and welcoming, and the food was delicious! Hearing them speak in German to each other makes me all the more excited and ready for my course to start next Monday so that I can understand and communicate more with them the next time I see them.

We got home sort of late, but I HAD to start unpacking or else I felt like I was going to go crazy. So I started...and then just had to finish. I don't know, to me, that's not a job you can just do bit by bit. It's sort of like when you're desk is a little cluttered or messy and you need to do work, but you have to clean and reorganize it first before you can continue on with anything. Ha. So I was up until at least 12:30 am doing that, and it went pretty well and was actually sort of fun :) Everything fits where it needs to, even my 15 pairs of shoes...!  

Today was another full day. We drove a little over an hour to visit some friends of theirs who just moved into a new house and have a new baby! It was a nice day filled again with chatting, good food, and lots of laughter. Before we left Hollabrunn though, I gave the girls the surprise gifts I brought them from Illinois: a Disney's Belle coloring poster and a piece of jewelry. They really enjoyed both things; in the car ride, they each opened their jewelry and wore it for most of the day :)

Before we left their friend's house, Kristina and I were sitting in this neat hammock-chair thing just playing and being silly. She had a little baby elephant and I had the mommy elephant, and I was pretending to fly away with my (the elephant) ears like Dumbo. Then she (the baby elephant) did it, and I said, in one my my weird voices, "Don't fly to high, or you will fall!" and she just cracked up and made me say it again. I think it was a combination of the actual words and the weird voice, haha. Then the elephants gave each other hugs with their arms, and then I was like, "Oh, here's an ear hug" and they hugged with their big ears. So then Kristina turns and looks up at me and gives me an arm hug and then she was like, "ear hug!" and we tried to do that too, haha! It was so cute and just sat there giggling, but trying not to wake up the sleeping 3-mo. old. Elena came over and sat in the chair with us and we looked at a picture book before it was time to leave :) Such a nice nice day!

After dinner tonight, I signed all the official papers for working here, so I guess that's it- I'm stuck here! But 100% voluntarily :) Tomorrow we will go and do more official-type things too. I hope to walk around Hollabrunn tomorrow as well to really start to get a feel for the town so that I can hopefully I feel confident enough to go for a run outside later this week. Yay!

I feel as though I've written a short story of which the ending is this: I'm having a great time so far and cannot wait for what each new day brings. However, this is not just a feeling one should have when starting something new, so I hope you all a feeling this as well, in whatever state life finds you in.

Until the next time,

~Sarah


(Oh, and Andi said it wasn't a big deal that I didn't get my passport stamped. They're just not as strict when you travel directly from another country in the EU...so I should be fine. It was still sort of making me a bit nervy there for bit though, haha)

Lasts and Firsts

I have made it safely across the pond and am currently sitting at the airport in Warsaw, Poland…! I think I even caught a few glimpses of it out the window before it got too dark. Part one of the journey is complete. Now for a slight recap and examples of how God perfectly provides for his children and that prayer works.

So that hair appointment that I talked about—so fabulous. Cut and colored and oh so fresh. Haha. I just love it. After that my mom and I went and picked up a couple Hot ‘n Readys from Litter Ceasers and took them to Donna’s to have lunch and catch up. I hadn’t told Donna about Austria yet, so I was excited to explain everything and get all excited all over again, which is exactly what happened. Once we got back home, I seriously had to get back to business. That business of course being packing. I barely had my first case packed, and as it turned out I did indeed empty it and start all over with the help of my lovely and gracious sister. She had the brilliant idea to pack both at the same time to try and distribute the weight a bit more evenly, which worked. Brilliant! We had a nice dinner together that mom prepared and just talked for a while before I said goodbye to my sister. A little fun fact here, I drank two cups of coffee after dinner, so I was flying high. Oh my word…I was shaking from all the caffeine and my nerves and excitement, but I needed the boost to keep me going.

As Rachel and I were outside sharing our last hugs for a while, Caroline pulled up to have one last evening together. We went inside and I put her to work rolling my last few clothing items, what a friend! It was during this time that I realized there was no way I was going to be able to only take two suitcases. Granted, I am fully certain that it could have been done, but with my desire for variety in clothing options and for not wanting to have to buy a TON of stuff while I’m there, I was basically like, whatever…I’ll just pay a bit more now. Let’s hope it was worth it.

I said goodbye to Caroline and thanked her for an awesome summer in P-town and then got back to packing and weighing suitcases and a few other odds and ends. I think it was about 1:45 am, once the coffee wore off a smidge, that I decided I had done enough and the rest would be finished when I got up.  I took some time before bed to journal and pray. There were (and still are) so many thoughts racing through my head as I sat on my bed, journal and pen in hand. There were so many times last week that I just wanted to stay home and be all roots, no wings. And then there were the few times I had completely alone when I felt I wanted to be all wings, no roots. Extremes are rarely good, so naturally I had to flush out those thoughts and need somewhere in the middle. So I focused my attention on trees. They need those deep strong roots in order to grow tall and strong; the roots set that foundation so that later its branches will be able to spread out and hold their weight. It is the same with us as people. We need our roots,  that firm foundation, so that we can have the support to grow and become strong. I think I said something similar to this in the very first post, but that’s okay, I needed to be reminded of this again apparently.

We left our house at 11:00 am, one hour later than originally “planned,” but that is still pretty good for my family. I was trying to decide where I wanted to grab lunch before the airport, and then I had the great idea to stop at the Chipotle in downtown Naperville. I figured that I would also maybe get so see some people that I knew were on campus as well. My last vegetarian burrito bowl with chips and guac on the side was as delicious as ever—I am truly going to miss that place! I walked a few meters up the sidewalk and slipped in the Starbucks there to see the remodeling that was done to one of my favorite study and coffee date places. I was greeted with two perky and friendly hellos, one being from the older gentleman that works there who you can tell is just lovin’ life! I explain why I don’t want a drink, and then he gets all excited about the remodeling all over again. He says, “Yeah, they even gave me shelves for all my mugs.” At which I look at him, the mugs and am a bit confused. He explained that they are mugs from all over the world that customers bring back for him. He buys the mug from them, and puts a little note in each one about whom and where it came from. How cool! I explained a bit about what I am doing and he got so excited. He was like, “Yeah, I only have one Austria mug, so if you see a new one, you’ll have to bring it back for me!” Literally he was beaming with joy. After that lovely encounter, we drove up to campus, and I hopped out by WAC to steal Nikki and Alexis away from an RA training session. Haha. It was just a quick chat and lots of hugs, but it was so worth it.

I got to O’Hare and immediately got on the check-in line for LOT, which was pretty long. It’s finally my turn, and I inform the attendant that I have three bags to check. She sort of looks at me funny, verifies that I am the only one travelling, and then proceeds to tell me that third bag is going to cost me…a LOT. She explains, but then goes off to check with someone. Mind you, this was probably the one thing I was even slightly worried about; I just wanted to get those three cases out of my hair! She comes back and, by the grace of God, says, “I can make you a deal.” Hallelujah. She didn’t even charge me for the third bag, so I ended up paying less than what I had originally thought. Praise Jesus!

The security line was long as well, so mom and dad and stood in it together until I got to that red line and they couldn’t come any further. We said goodbye, I passed through the gate, looked back and blew them kisses, and got in line again. I found my gate just fine and sat down to wait until row 11 was allowed to board. In the meantime I made my last phone calls and text messages to my nearest and dearest. Once on the plane, I found my seat, a window seat, but the person on the aisle was already there. He was a older gentleman and looked as though he didn’t really want to be messed with. Great. I walk up to him and tell him I’m in the seat next to him, to which he motions to row 10 and tells me to just sit there. Seriously…?! I knew full well those seats were accounted for because when I checked in online at home, they were shown as taken! However, he didn’t speak very good English and I didn’t want to make scene, so I just sat in row 10 and decided to wait for their rightful owners to arrive to force me out. And they did. It was a mother and her cute little boy, who I play peek-a-boo with during part of the flight.

So I sat down, looked at the guy with a playful I-told-you-so look, and got out my iPod and book. Turned out, he was a very kind gentleman. We shared several confusing conversations, but I did find out he likes lakes and sunrises (a couple of the words he knew really well). Apparently I made an impression on him because, upon filing out of the plane, asked me to give him a kiss on the cheek. I said no, thanks.

So now I’m in Poland. I called my parents and chatted for awhile. All is well, and God has already shown his grace and mercy to me. Thanks for all your prayers; keep them coming because they obviously work.

~Sarah

< 36 hours

Yes, for those of you that may have forgotten that math symbol, it is a less than sign.

In less than thirty-six hours I'll be on the plane. I'm flying with LOT Polish Air and leaving from O'Hare, getting into Warsaw, Poland for a seven hour lay over, and then finally landing in Vienna on Friday evening.

A lot has happened since my last post. I've been trying to get stuff done, and now that it's coming right down to the wire, I should have started a lot sooner.That's the story of my life though, so I should not be surprised.

However, the last couple of weeks have been hectic, emotional, and exciting all at the same time. To start with, my best friend from North Central came down to Peoria to stay with me. We had a great time chatting, encouraging each other, laughing, crying, and seeing each other off to our next adventures. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better weekend. I love you, Jessi!

Then that next week was my last week at my summer job, and I tried to make it a fun one for the boys. We went to Tanner's Orchard (I HAD to get a stop in there before I left), went to the movie theater, and for a treat, we went to Toys 'R Us. They were in heaven!! Thanks for a fun and crazy summer, boys!

Tanner's Orchard - There's a covered wagon!! 

Tanner's Orchard - Loving the windmills

Finally, this week has been filled with trips to Walmart, Walgreen's, both malls, and friends' houses to say my final farewells. I started packing last night...I got my first suitcase done, but we shall see how much it weighs. Who knows, I might just have to start all over. Needless to say, I probably won't be sleeping much tonight.

Well, I'm off to get my hair cut, which should be relaxing.

Please pray that I can be decisive in what I'm taking and not want to take my entire room! Eek! 


Sarah

The first post: how it all started

One fact concerning any sort of writing venture is this: Starting is the hardest part. But once you have something on the page it just sort of flows. A blank page is like a daunting hurdle that once overcome yields an authentic creation. I may be speaking too broadly; however, this “fact” is certainly true for me. I knew I wanted to start a blog, but it’s taken a while to actually get it going. I have so many thoughts in my head and I know that they desperately want to escape, but at the same time I also know that they are very unorganized and that it’s going to take a bit to sort them all out…yay!

Though, I guess that is what this is for, so hopefully I’m headed in the right direction.

The purpose of this venture, as many of you already know, is to record the thoughts and happenings that come along as I embark on my adventure in Austria, which in some ways has already started…

Once upon a time, there was a girl who did not know what she wanted to do after she graduated college. After four years of academia, she just needed a break. After spending four months in Scotland, during those four years, this girl was now quite enthralled with international travel. Be assured: Enthralled is not an exaggeration. Even though it was a short time, she knew she wanted to fully experience other cultures different than her own.

She was certain of that and one other thing: She enjoyed being around children and caring for them and teaching them new things and just being a big silly goofball with them. After all, even though she is 22, she is much younger at heart. With a lot of thought and prayer, she did the next most logical thing, she decided to put those two interests together and pursue them.

The pursuit ended in February 2012 when she accepted the live-in au pair position offered to her by a lovely family with two little girls living just outside Vienna, Austria. She leaves in 15 days.