The What, Where, & How

I guess I should explain how I have received the amazing opportunity to live in Germany for a year. I am not just going to travel around and site-see on another person’s dime (I’m not that lucky). I was offered a job as an au pair. That’s right, a nanny.

I will be caring for an adorable, blonde-haired, German-speaking, almost 3-year-old little boy named Yannick.

Yannick likes horses, the zoo, and going to the airport to watch planes. He is an only child; son of Monika and Christian. They (soon to be "we") live in a town called Mönchengladbach, which is right beside Düsseldorf and about 45 minutes from Cologne (Köln).

My basic duties include getting up in the morning around 8 (Monday thru Friday) and getting Yannick ready. I then proceed to drive him to preschool for the day. After that, I can spend the day how I like, but must be home around the time that Monika and Christian pick him up from daycare in case the traffic is bad and I need to go pick him up. Oh, and I must also do a little cleaning around the house (about an hour a day). I get weekends off (Fridays if I want to travel that weekend) and 4 weeks of vacation during the year.

I picture myself (after dropping Yannick off) going to cafes and drinking cappuccinos (although in the states, I do not like coffee, I have figured out that I do like it when I am in Europe. I know, it’s touristy and all in my head, but I’m OK with that.).  What will I do at these cafes while drinking my cappuccino and perhaps eating some type of pastry? I could read a book, write a journal, people-watch, plan a weekend getaway, plan the rest of my day, skype with friends/family that happen to be up at 3 in the morning (which will probably only be James), et cetera, et cetera. Basically, whatever I feel like doing that day.

After breakfast at my café, which I will become a regular at, I will maybe drive my stick-shift Opel back home (after I learn to drive stick-shift). Then I could ride my bike around and explore the ‘hood. Apparently there is a river/stream near and also some horses. Maybe I can ride a horse! In Germany! How awesome would that be? Or I could take a drive over to the Netherlands (which is 20 miles away) and buy some tulips. Or maybe I’ll just go home and watch Pirates of the Caribbean in German and laugh at Johnny’s dubbed over German.

I also have in my head all of the outfits that I will be wearing while I do these things. Monika has informed me that they are very casual, wearing mostly jeans and basic t-shirts. However, as my mother will pledge to, I denote certain articles of clothing as “my skirt that I wear to stroll along the riverbank” or “my shirt that I pick apples in”. I like to visualize stories with my clothing. So as I picture my time in Germany, I also picture all of the clothes I will get to wear, like the pants I barely wear, but save because they would be perfect for wearing to an open air market while carrying a whicker basket for all of my fresh fruit and vegetables.

At one point it might have seemed far-fetched, but now I am getting to not only visualize but live out my dream.

So the question is: will I really do any of these things? Who knows. But I am excited about finding out and living my day-to-day life in Germany. I’m sure no matter what activities I get into every day or what clothes I have on, it will be a perfect experience. And as I start this life, I’ll be sure to let you know if I spend my mornings sipping cappuccinos and my afternoons picking tulips.

“Die wirklich glückliche Person ist eine, wer die Landschaft wenn auf einem Umweg genießen kann.” – Unknown  (I think this is translated correctly?)

(“The really happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery when on a detour.”)

The Beginning

As most of my friends and family know, I am a list maker.  At work, I make lists of what needs to be done that day, who to call. At home, I make lists of groceries, errands, movies to watch, books to buy, doctor appointments to make, bills to pay, etc. etc. One day, a good (and smart alec) friend found an old to-do list in my car that had found its way under my seat. It included things like “eat lunch” and “get dressed” (not in that order). Needless to say, he made jokes about that for weeks, “Meg, don’t forget to eat lunch today – make sure it’s on your list”.

In my defense, the reason I add such obvious things as “eat lunch” or “get dressed” is because of the satisfaction I get when I check things off of my lists. Those things are so easy to do, yet so satisfying when I can cross them off! I know my other list-soulmates know exactly what I am talking about. It’s right up there with the feeling I get after a really good workout or buying a new pair of citizens to go in my jean collection.

Anyway – back to my list-making: when I see articles that start with “5 Things to do in Such-and-such City” or “5 Ways to Save Money” – anything that has to do with lists, I can’t NOT read them. One day not too long ago, I was reading my headlines on MSN, as I do every morning (they say it’s good to read headlines on news sites every morning to help keep your self in-the-know when you don’t have time to read the actual news. Before you think “MSN isn’t a news site”, let me say that although it doesn’t contain as many news stories as CNN or Fox, it mixes together news + lifestyle + celebrities + “weird news”. Therefore, it saves time going to 5 different sites to get ALL the different forms of news). Where was I? Oh yes, so I was reading MSN one morning and I saw the headline “36 Things Every Single Girl Must Do Before She Settles Down”. Of course I had to read it: a new list for me to read, check off the things I’ve done, and start working on the things I still need to do.

I’m not going to list all 36 things here right away (I still have a fear of accidentally plagiarizing ever since my college days). However, below are the things I have checked off (numbered by the way that they are on the list).

To build confidence…

1.   Go to a movie alone.

4.   Take out the trash, set a mousetrap, do your taxes, build a bookcase. (while I haven’t ever set a mousetrap, this is one thing that I never plan on doing because I will cry for 3 days straight if I wake up and find a poor dead little mouse named Guss with a broken neck)

5.   Live alone, or at least move apartments in NYC without the help of family.

8.   Quit your job.

10. Learn to stand up for yourself. (I don’t really think there is a benchmark where you know that this has been accomplished, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got this one down)

To be able to look back and say “I had fun”…

12. Revel in being able to watch all the reality TV you want. (I’m pretty sure I’ve got this down pat – and I think Soap Operas should be considered in this)

14. Go on a date with someone who actually makes you nervous. (no comment)

16. Go out with a guy that makes you laugh till it hurts. (I’m counting friends in this one)

To get perspective…

19. Volunteer.

To make you appreciate the next guy…

20. Do at least one valentine’s day alone.

22. Date the creeps. You’ll really value the nice guys afterward. (Does stalker by text count for this? I think it does as I was thanking the lord that he did not know where I lived because I’m pretty sure I would have been on the next 20/20)

To make the most of your free time…

27. Finish all of your schooling.

To make yourself a better partner in the future...

30. Learn to cook well. (While I may not be a gourmet chef, I do know my way pretty well around a kitchen)

31. Get some hobbies. (there are plenty of hobbies I still want to pursue, like kickboxing or fencing, but I still have enough hobbies to count this as checked off)

To appreciate being single…

34. Babysit someone’s baby for an hour.

36. Host a girls-only night.

While I have completed a good part of the list, I still have 22 left to do. However, there are some, such as number 15, “go out with an older man who takes you somewhere nice and makes you feel like a million bucks”, that I do not think I will ever do. Because, well, that one just creeps me out and I think would make me feel cheap, not like a million bucks. And there are others like “Chill with your widowed and single grandma” which I cannot do because I don’t have one of those. My grandparents are still happily married and in really great health. But most of the things on this list are things that I am looking forward to doing, which brings me to the point of this post.

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always wanted to live in a foreign country for a bit before I settle down. I remember sitting in my blue room on my hardwood floors when I was around 15 or so, and making a list of things to do before I turn 30. I wish I still had this list so I could remember everything I dreamed of then. But I know that this was one of the items on my list, along with “learn to speak 3 languages fluently. And this August 1^st, I will be flying to Germany to live and travel for one year. I plan to finish the 22 items on the list above while I am over there. The things that I can’t do there, I will save to do when I return to the states in August 2012, like “get your finances in order” (I’m pretending like this can and will happen).

As I go through this year, I will post my stories, lessons, and pictures of this time in my life. And as I complete items on the list above, I will post them. I encourage all my single girl friends to google this list and see what they have done and what they still need to do. A lot of these are great suggestions and some aren’t something that I would choose to do. However, I am choosing to replace the ones I don’t want to do with something that I think will be gratifying but isn’t on the list already.

I’m so lucky and excited to go on this next journey in my life. I think it will be something that will have a profound impact on the person that I am and the life I will lead in the future. And while I can’t physically share the journey with friends and family, I’m glad that I have this outlet to share my stories.

Shoenes Wochenende.