I've been here one month

That's a lie. I'll admit that up front. Tomorrow I'll have been here for 4 weeks, but it's not until Sunday that I will hit one month. But no matter. I can't believe that I've been here (on Sunday) one month! On the one hand it feels like a lot less, but on the other hand it feels much longer.

Well, my German has definitely gotten better. I am still constantly frustrated, though, with my struggle to speak even regular sentences. For the most part I can communicate with store clerks and other people who I have little to no interaction with. I also find I can conduct conversations with people better if I have never met them before--I think mostly because they all ask me where I'm from, how long I've been here, do I like it, etc. I've got those answers down pat. It's just having actual conversations about actual things that gets me.

I keep comparing how comfortable I am with German now with how comfortable I was after one month in Wittenberg. Maybe I'm just looking at that time through rose-colored glasses, but I think that I was more comfortable when I left then (I was there about 4 weeks). But then again, I'm learning much more complex words now and I'm doing a lot more talking. I think I also came into this with less experience. In Wittenberg, I had just come off two semesters of German. When I came here, I hadn't had a German class since December. In fact, I hadn't spoken a word of German since then, except when I had to talk to the visa people in New York. All I remember thinking on the car ride from Munich to Heuchlingen was, "Please don't say anything else to me. I don't want to speak anymore German." How far I have come from that! This weekend in Munich with the two English-speaking aupairs I really missed speaking German. I was dying to speak it, even if it meant making things harder for myself (for example: in stores, on the train). I can at least hold a stilted conversation in German now. I still struggle, but I think most of my frustration is coming from not being instantly fluent.

So many words are coming back to me. If you had asked me just two months ago what the German word for "baptism" is, I would have had no idea. But when Stephanie told me that they had been invited to a "Taufe", somehow I knew what it was without having it described to me. All these things are coming back that I didn't even know I knew! Then again, other things I have completely forgotten (e.g. every single article for every single word). "Das" is my article of choice, and I use it liberally.

OK, non-language stuff: I feel a lot more comfortable living here now. I don't really feel like this is my house (probably because I live in the basement), but I feel like this is my room and my space. The kids are much more used to me and are starting to be glad to see me. In they beginning they were kind of blase, which I can completely understand. I was just this person who was taking care of them, and that was fine and all, but they didn't know me. It's much better now. We're used to each other and we have a little routine down.

The only thing that kinda sucks is that I haven't met many people my age. I went to that youth group and I'm going to try one more time this week, but I don't think it's for me. I'm really hoping that the language class will introduce me to a lot more people. I don't even mind if no one wants to travel with me; it would just be nice to have someone to do stuff with on the weekends. And if this cooking class actually happens, then I hope I will meet some German girls my age. I really want people to speak German to! There is actually a choir that meets on Wednesdays (although Stephanie said it's mostly older people) but a girl my age stopped by to ask me if I wanted to go. I said I probably would, but I was sick this week and I still have a cough--one of those horrible ones where nothing is even wrong, but my throat tickles and I have to cough! Grr! Anyway, not good for choir. Definitely next week though.

Now I sort of wish that I was living in a bigger city, just so that I'd be able to meet more people and have more stuff to do, but after talking to other aupairs, I am really glad that I have a family that I like and that treats me well. It sounds like I am the exception in enjoying my job and liking my family and not working 10 hrs/day 6 or 7 days/week (although honestly, those girls just need to tell the families they won't do that--it IS against the law, after all).

All in all, I am really happy. I have a good job with good hours, I'm living in a foreign country learning a new language first-hand--and I'm getting paid to do it! If any of you out there want a cheap way to travel around, being an aupair is definitely the way to go. Although after those aupairs' horror stories, I recommend finding a family yourself through a website instead of relying on an agency. If you find the fam yourself, all of you can make sure that you are a good fit before anyone commits to anything.

OK, this ended up being way longer than I thought it would be. I'll end this the usual way, by saying that I'm off to go watch TV. Some things never change, no matter which country I'm in!