Happy Birthday America

The Barbeque, a quintessential American past time. There's nothing quite like a Summer afternoon and evening spent in the backyard while the men barbeque, the women gossip, and the children run around with water guns like wild heathens in bathing suits. Some of my fondest Summer memories have been passed lounging around in the sun with friends and family, watermelon juice running down my fingers. It is all so very American. No wonder that on our Independence day we break out the barbeques and rub on the sunblock. Nothing goes better with red, white, and blue like some yummy baby back ribs.

You wouldn't believe how many people here in Germany ask me if I like BBQ sauce. And most of the people who ask me then tell me I'm weird for liking it (ahem, Bernie...). I guess it's one of those things that is just super American and I never really stopped to think about it, just like barbeques. Here in Germany they call the grill (the machine) a grill like we do. But unlike us, they call the act of having a barbeque, grilling ("Oh we are grilling on Saturday, want to join in?"). Which is just so strange to me. All the same, a tomato is a tomato whatever you call it, I'm glad they enjoy grilling things too. I've been seriously missing out on BBQ. The Summer weather (in between all the rain) has provided for some lovely opportunities to have grills with my friends.

About two or so weeks ago I began to ponder what I should do for the 4th of July. My friends had told me they would gladly celebrate with me, so I had to think of something fun and super American to do. Then it hit me, duh, we would have a barbeque. That's what I've done on the 4th of July as long as I can remember, so why wouldn't I do it again this year?! Of course I came to this conclusion like three days before the actual holiday, typical me, so I had to throw together plans at the speed of light. Nacha and Bernie graciously offered up their apartment for the event, and with that part squared away, I invited people and suggested food items to bring. And of course I told people to wear red, white, and blue... we can't have the 4th of July without being a little patriotic now can we?? Well, technically we could. But it's no fun that way, so hush.

Since the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday this year (middle of the week? laaaame), I had to work. I wore a cute red, white, and blue outfit that was perfect for the warm day. And while Martha, Frieda, and I colored, I created very holiday themed pictures. I tried to get them to join in on the fun, but no such luck. They just kept doing their usual coloring, which, is as usual awesome. I love that we get to get all crafty together. I didn't get to spend much time with the girls that afternoon though, Christiane had me run a bunch of errands for Martha's mermaid themed birthday party that's coming up soon. Which was a really fun shopping trip I must say.

After work, I biked over to Penny Markt (a fabulously cheap grocery store), and got some steaks, potato salad, lemon cake mix, and fruit for my part of the potluck. Then I headed over to Nacha and Bernie's apartment, which isn't too far from Penny's.

I was the first to arrive at Nacha's (shocker, I know), but I expected this considering our "party" wasn't going to be a big one; just Nacha, Bernie, Ivanka, and I with Albert and Daniel possibly coming.

I broke out the cake mix and added the needed milk, butter, and eggs and then put it a typical rectangular cake pan (well, it wasn't technically a pan since it was glass.... I'm not good with kitchen-y things). While the cake baked, Nacha and I sat on the balcony chatting and enjoying the beautiful evening.

Soon Ivanka arrived (not wearing red, white, or blue... shaaame), and not long after Bernie got home from work. With Bernie home, we started up the grill. Nacha brought out all the food onto the balcony; a delicious assortment of fruit, meats, potato salad, sodas, pretzel sticks, and beer. I took the cake out of the oven and set it near the window to cool.

View from the balcony, the grill, and the cake.

Albert came and we started to munch on the food in earnest. The meat wasn't quite cooked yet, so we didn't want to fill up on pretzel sticks. Once my cake had finally cooled, Nacha whipped up some whipped cream for me and spread it over the top of the cake.While she did this I cut two bananas into slices and cut a handful of strawberries in half. With the whipped cream on the cake and the fruit cut, I was ready to begin my creation. In the top left corner of the cake I took blueberries and lined them up into a couple rows until they had made a nice square. Then with the rest of the cake I made alternating stripes of strawberries and bananas. The result? An American flag cake!

Me and my cake creation.

After I finished the cake, I rejoined everyone on the balcony and our barbeque really began. Nacha cut up all the meat into little pieces and stuck toothpicks in them for easy eating. The balcony isn't very big, so we all could reach the different foods on the little table from where we were sitting. The food was delicious. The only thing missing was watermelon. A tragedy to be sure.

Sadly after we were done eating Albert had to go. He had a birthday party to go to, but we were all glad that he was able to stop by. Not long after he left, Daniel arrived. He ate while we all just hung out on the balcony and talked about random things. We usually have really strange conversations on the balcony, one time we talked about the history of the toilet. No, I'm not kidding.

Ivanka and I like to pretend like we are sisters.

Bernie consented to be in a picture with Nacha (and his beer)./The girlies and I posing in a "family" portrait.

Then it was cake time. Always the best part of a party right? Oh gosh, it was so yummy. This being the first time I had attempted this recipe, I was a little worried, but it turned out lovely. And I'm not the only one who thought so, everyone else loved it too. I'm always quite proud when my cooking skills somehow manage to create yumminess. (There's been too many cookie massacres in the past to count. I think I have a better handle on cakes. Sort of...).

We basked in the last few rays of the sun as it slipped behind the clouds and then went inside. It was almost 10 o'clock at night after all. After a clean up and some chatting, Nacha scooted us all out of the apartment because she had Bernie had an early morning the next day.

Like most holidays this year, this wasn't a very typical one for me. But I loved it anyways. 4th of July is my second favorite holiday, I gotta party it up! Well, I'm not really a partier. Grilling is nice and tame, enough of a party for me.

Friends, food, a grill, and a dash of patriotism made for a wonderful 4th of July barbeque. Like the many 4th of July barbeque's that have come before it, it was a great display of the American spirit. American spirit, in Germany, with two Chileans, an Argentinian, an Irish girl, and a German. What a melting pot.

Einundzwanigster Geburtstag

21 years old. That used to sound so old, so mature, so grown. Now, not so much. Being 21 really puts 21 in perspective. It's so young. Maybe I just feel young. But I feel really old and ancient at the same time, which is ridiculous. Oh goodness. One thing I do know for certain is that 21 brings me into a whole new ball game, I'm officially an "adult" these days. Shit gets real from this point on folks. What a scary and thrilling thought.

I love birthdays. Especially mine. I always get super excited for them (like counting down from January to May and such) and I am always let down. Not that all my birthdays have sucked, most of them have been freaking amazing, it's just that I place way too high of expectations on them that can't be fulfilled. Which is ridiculous, I know. Well, this year was a little different than usual. To be honest, I was actually dreading my birthday. Why? 1. Being 21 didn't have the same significance that it should have, considering I have been able to drink the moment I stepped into Germany 2. I wouldn't be able to celebrate it with my friends and family back home 3. I figured nothing special would happen. I decided because of these reasons to not get excited for my birthday like I do every year. In fact, I planned on not thinking about it all.

My strategy worked (sort of) all the way up until the end of April/beginning of May. Around this time Nacha, Ivanka, and Daniel started bugging me about what I wanted to do for my birthday. Especially Daniel. I kept shrugging it off saying we would figure something out, I just wanted to go on an adventure somewhere. But Dan kept at it. And eventually we had all these jokes about what I would do for my birthday, like going sky diving or driving a Porsche. Just jokes. Sky diving is a no go because I'm quite scared of heights... that adventure shall be left for another day. And I couldn't actually drive a Porsche for two reasons: my California license isn't valid here after 6 months and don't know how to drive a stick shift. Eventually the Porsche jokes turned into Mercedes jokes. Mainly because I could actually drive a Mercedes because they are automatic, and because there is space for more people. I didn't think much of all this talk though. Dan was just messing with me.

About a week before my birthday my friends were able to squeeze a birthday schedule out of me. Dan and I would have breakfast, go get Starbucks, then meet up with Ivanka and Nacha, take a train to Baden-Baden, explore the city for the afternoon, come back to Karlsruhe, and have a little dinner at Nacha and Bernie's house. I got my adventure and it sounded like a pretty fun day.

So May 30th rolled around and there I was, 21. It was a strange feeling. I'd finally reached "the age". I was a ball full of energy; my attempts to not be excited about my birthday thrown out the window. Dan came over to my apartment and we made breakfast. Well, I made breakfast. And I failed miserably at my pancake making because I put too much salt in them on accident. They weren't horrible though, especially with the strawberries and whipped cream on top (Dan would disagree I'm sure haha).

Then it was off to the city to get Starbucks. Which I know doesn't seem like a big deal, but for me it was a total treat. Starbucks is ungodly expensive in Europe. Worse than at home. Thus, I've only had it here maybe three times. So I'm sure you can imagine my total excitement. I got a Coffee Frappachino (without whipped cream) and it was heavenly.

Walking from the center of the city back to my house, Daniel started joking about the Mercedes again. (And Hummers. He knows how I loathe those things). He said that he really did get me a Mercedes for the day. I told him I wouldn't believe him until my ass was in the seat. Well, when we got to my street, he pulled a set of car keys of his pocket. Foot in mouth. I certainly did believe him once my ass was in the seat. I was stunned, and pretty darn stoked. Such a great surprise.

Daniel, Starbucks, and a Mercedes. Life is good.

Daniel drove us to go pick up Ivanka. Once we got Ivy, we hopped on the Autobahn and headed to Baden-Baden (Nacha was to meet us there). I stuck my head and arm out of the window in pure giddy glee the whole ride. We picked up Nacha at the Baden-Baden train station and drove towards the center of the city while deciding what to do. Well, adventure found us in the form of a castle. One of us saw a sign for the Altes Schloss. We all decided it was worth a look and drove up a winding road to where the castle sat atop a hill.

Driving on the Autobahn.

The Altes Schloss (also known as Schloss Hodenbaden), has been around since 1102 A.D. That's pretty intense, if you ask me. You can definitely see the wear and tear that time has created on the brown stones that make up the walls. Yet the castle manages to still to give off a feeling of solid power and beauty. The four of us spent a good hour or so exploring the various areas of the castle, climbing lots of narrow stairs, and catching breath taking views of the valley that Baden-Baden sits in. The girls and I spent a majority of our time there pretending we were royalty.

Altes Schloss entrance.

Exploring the ground floor.

Stairs aplenty!

The view was amazing.

We left the castle to go into town. After a short drive, we parked, and then the weather decided to give me a nice birthday present: rain, thunder, and lightening. And it was humid on top of all that. Ever so delightful. But, in true German fashion we just ignored the weather as best we could and continued on with our day. As a group we decided that we were hungry, so we got some Leberkäse (similar to the idea of meatloaf) and Coke. Delicious.

We arrive in the city just in time for a thunderstorm. Here we are hiding under a tree canopy.

The four of us spent the next hour or two walking around the city. We saw the casino, lots of fancy stores, old people dressed ever so fabulously (Baden-Baden is a place where a lot of rich people retire), the Trinkhalle, the Oos River, the baths that the city is famous for, and the Roman bath ruins. The Roman bath ruins were probably my favorite. It's crazy to think this city was founded by Romans almost 2,000 years ago.

Some of the places we saw in Baden-Baden.

The Oos River.

Tree hugging and chillin' by a pretty fountain.

The Roman bath ruins.

After a nice afternoon, we jumped back in the car and headed back to Karlsruhe. We needed to be back by 6 p.m., that way Nacha and Ivanka had time to cook dinner. We dropped the girls off at Nacha's, and then Dan and I headed back to my house to hang out and wait for dinner to be ready.

Much sooner than I expected, the girls called and told us to come on over. As we walked to Nacha's, I couldn't get over how excited Daniel was. Totally cracking me up. In a easy breezy five minutes we made it to the apartment and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. I knocked on the door. I slightly confused why Nacha hadn't opened it already, but figured they must be doing last minute details for dinner.

Then the door opened and all of my friends yelled "SURPRISE!" Oh man, was I totally surprised. I just about died. Before I could get over my shock, everyone started hugging me and telling me happy birthday. I felt so special and loved. I couldn't believe they threw me a surprise party. I've always wanted one. It's more than I could have asked for for this birthday. So much love.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Happy birthday!

Then Nacha, Bernie, and Ivy presented me with my birthday gift: paints, brushes, canvases, candies, a headband, and sunglasses. Such a great present! (Later in the party Albert gave me a present as well... a soccer ball. Oh my, was I excited).

My birthday gifts.

Then Dan's mom appeared with snacks and a cheesecake. All this was added to the snack table, which everyone totally devoured throughout the course of the night. Nacha also made me a cake: my favorite.... ice cream cake! Two cakes for one birthday girl?! Muahaha. So spoiled.

Nacha put three candles in my ice cream cake and lit them, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me (once in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese). I made three wishes and blew out the candles. After that we obviously ate both cakes. Yummmers!

Cake, cake, cake!

Hanging out at eating cake and snacks.

Then everyone just hung out and talked for quite some time while music played in the background. Bernie put on The Beach Boys for awhile, just for me haha. I had my "1st drink"... which was silly of course considering I've been able to drink since October. All the same it meant a lot to me. Now when I go home I will be legal to drink too!

My very "1st" beer.

 While everyone was eating and talking, I made them take part in a ridiculous game. There's no official name for it, but I usually just call it the "Animal Game." The rules are simple. One person has a camera, and the other person is in front of the camera. The person with the camera will call out an animal and then the other person must act like that animal. While they do this the camera person will take a picture. The result is really hilarious pictures. We had a lot of laughs doing this.

The animal game.

 After playing the Animal Game, Daniel brought out another surprise for me: Rootbeer. He knows how much I love it, so he somehow managed to get me some even though it's pretty rare in Germany.  I made a rootbeer float, and ah goodness, it was ah-mazing. Everyone teased me about it though. Rootbeer and rootbeer floats are very, very American. All my friends think rootbeer is too sweet and really gross. I don't care though, I still think it's awesome.

Me and my rootbeer float.

Later we all played Celebrity. For those of you not familiar with this game, I'll give you a little break down of the rules. You have your group sit in a circle. Then everyone gets a post-it note and has to write the name of a celebrity on it. As long as it's someone everyone will be familiar with, it can be anyone who is dead, alive, or fictional. Then you take your post-it note and stick it on the person to your left's forehead. Then you pick one person to start. That person will ask a yes or no question such as, "Am I male or female?" and the group will respond. If the answer is "yes", then that person gets to ask another question. If the answer is "no", then you go to the next person on the left and they get to ask a question. And so on and so forth. Basically you use the questions to figure out who you are. Towards the end of the game people start guessing who they think they are. But caution, once you guess a name, that's your last question! If you get it right you win, if not, you lose. It's a great party game! It was a pretty long round since there were so many of us, be we all had a great time.

Our game of Celebrity.

Ivanka was Edward Cullen.

Not long after our game of Celebrity, hugs were given and goodbyes were said. It was well past midnight at this point and it was time for everyone to be getting home. We took some group pictures before everyone left that totally crack me up, we were quite the hyper bunch.

Theses guys are a crack up.

Feeling the love.

Ahhhhmygawsh. This day was almost perfect. I am so amazed by my friends. And so thankful. They took what I thought was going to be a mediocre birthday and made it amazing. Definitely my best birthday ever! What a great way to start off a year. I feel so blessed and loved. Especially by Nacha, Ivy, Bernie, and Dan. That bunch. They made my day absolutely magical. All my friends did. And for that I am forever grateful. May 30, 2012... a day for the history books. Well. At least my history books.

Kleines Künstlern

Martha, Frieda, and I spend a lot of time together. And a good portion of that time is spent drawing, painting, and craft making. I love this bonding time. It's so great to color alongside them, help them when they need it, and spark their creativity. Art was a really big part of my childhood, and I'm always glad to pass it on to others. Especially in an electronic age when it's more exciting to color on your touch screen than it is to actually get paint on your hands. I love electronics, don't get me wrong, but when it comes down to it... I would rather have a pencil and paper any day. But I'm rambling. Point is, I love all this creativity that the three of us make together. It's been so cool to see how their artistic talent has grown over the months I've been here. I hope even after I go home they continue their desire to be creative. If I could leave one impression on these girls, that would be it. Use that imagination. It's there for a reason.

Now like any proud parent/sibling/etc, I feel the need to show off my favorites of the kiddos ever so awesome artwork. Which you will "ooo" and "ahh" at like the good people I know you are. Or else. (haha).

Martha. First drawing we ever did together. (crayon, marker, and colored pencil)

Frieda. Can you guess what her favorite color is? (watercolor)

Martha. This was during her Harry Potter craze. (marker)

Frieda. "Das ist ein Straße!"(marker)

Martha. She and her friend dressed up as witches trick-or-treating. (colored pencil)

Frieda. (watercolor)

Martha. Part of my Christmas present. (colored pencil)

Frieda. I spy a hand print! (watercolor)

Martha and Frieda. This is a Christmas cat... whatever that is haha. (marker and pencil)

Martha. The Easter bunny on his rounds. (colored pencil and marker)

Frieda. One of my favorites of her drawings. (pen and colored pencil)

Martha. A rainbow! (marker)

Frieda. (colored pencil)

Martha. This is my absolute favorite of Martha's. (watercolor)

Frieda. Reminds me of the world. (watercolor)

Martha. Self portrait of her kayaking. (watercolor and colored pencil)

It's a little ridiculous how proud I am of Martha and Frieda. My little art proteges, aww. Doesn't matter if they never pursue art later in life, I'm glad I was here to nurture love of art early on. Because life without art (or a love of it) would be a dreary place.

Little Wonders

Considering I am here in Germany as an au pair, you would think that my blog would feature more au pair related stories. Sadly, this is not the case. And that's mainly my fault. I tend to just blog about the things and days that I find to be most "exciting", when in reality, everyday here is quite the adventure. I guess I just got caught up in the day to day routine and didn't remember that all my friends and family back home would actually find that interesting. Well, as I close up my time in Karlsruhe (only three more months), I will do my best to write a bit more on day to day life along with my grand adventures. Because there are little wonders to be found in even the most mundane moments and days. Little wonders that should be shared and cherished. Because when we get to the end of our lives, those little moments will be the ones that we remember most clearly.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Sometime in the past month it hit me that I now consider Karlsruhe my home. Which is crazy to me. Especially considering when I got here I felt like I was in an alternate universe. I absolutely love living here. But don't get me wrong, I miss home a lot. Not a day goes by that I don't dream of sand between my toes, the ocean breeze, and diving into the salty waves of the Pacific. The ocean and I will eventually be reunited, so I don't worry too much. But living here for only a short time makes me want to treasure what I love here so much. So I thought I would give you a list of some of my favorite things (that I've experienced and seen so far) in Germany.

1. Karlsruhe Schloss & the Schloss Gartens
My absolute favorite place in Karlsruhe. The castle isn't grandiose or anything, but it's adorable. But then again I'm probably partial; I love that it's yellow and grey, which are colors I've always wanted to paint my future house. But it's not just the castle that I find amazing, I love the castle gardens as well. They are ridiculously picturesque. Lots of green grass, a lake, and hundreds of huge ancient trees. A perfect place to sit and think or drink in nature.

A beautiful view of the castle from the castle grounds.

2. Friends
I have been so blessed with an amazing assortment of friends while living here. They make living far away from home easy. I love the mix of cultures (Chilean, Brazilian, Argentinian, German, American, Irish; just to name a few) because it makes anything we do like three times as fun and adventurous. We do lots of fun things like shopping, having card nights, going out to bars, going on day trips to nearby cities, and so much more. I so deeply enjoy all the time I get to spend with them.

Nacha and I striking a silly pose.

3. Changing Seasons
I feel like I talk about the weather on this blog all the time, so I'm dreadfully sorry, but it's amazing. Being a California girl is great, but I don't really get to see the seasons change. Here in Germany, I would have to be without my five senses to not notice the seasons changing. There is nothing more glorious than getting to watch this occur. I arrived in Germany in the midst of stark blue skies, cold crisp winds, and burnt orange leaves. Then I survived the ridiculous cold temperature drops, rain, bare looking trees, and everything being covered in white. Just when I thought I would never be warm again, the world came to life. All of the sudden everything was green and colorful. Sun and rain played hide and seek. I can only imagine what Summer will bring me.

4. Drinking Age
In the States, because I am not 21, I cannot legally drink. Which is utterly ridiculous. I think the U.S. needs to take a leaf out of other countries books and lower the legal drinking age. Here in Germany, you can start drinking stuff like beer at 16, and then when you turn 18 you can drink hard liquor. I find this to be much more reasonable. Since I am 20, I can legally drink here. Which has been strange and liberating all at once. I love it. But it does kind of take the specialness out of my 21st birthday (which is oh so soon), and that really is a bummer. But I think I'll survive the disappointment.

My friends and I having some wine after a yummy Chilean dinner.

5. Food
If you've ever heard the stereotype that all Germans eat is bread, meat, and cheese, then you know what I eat haha. But honestly, as much as I eat bread, meat, and cheese... I do love it. Especially in the many combinations it comes in. Probably my favorites are Käsespätzle and Maultaschen. But what's really stolen my heart here is all the foreign food. Before I came to Germany, I had never eaten Turkish food. But now, let me tell you, I am in love with it (oh, kebaps why are you so delicious?). And there are some fabulous Asian food places here that I am constantly craving. But I think what I've really loved the most is all the home cooking that my friend Nacha makes. It's this delicious blend of Chilean, German, and her own creations. All this food talk is making me hungry for dinner!

6. Walking, Biking, and the Straßenbahn
Now as much as I miss my car, I really love the how I get around Karlsruhe. Mostly I walk or bike to and from places. Which is great because I get exercise and get to enjoy the outside world all while going somewhere; something I can't do in a car. If it's raining, or I have a farther destination to reach, I take the Straßenbahn (street cars, kind of like the metro in LB). The Straßenbahn is great, but I often get lost because I take the wrong train (typical me). I'm not the most skilled when it comes to public transportation (I blame So. Cal's lack of good public transport).

Sebastian the Bike.

7. No Sheets
I know this seems random and strange. But you see, here in Germany they do beds and bedding differently. Most beds are lower to the ground, which freaked me out at first, but now I'm used to it. But what I really find fascinating is that they don't use sheets. Yes, there is one on the mattress, but there isn't one to sleep with. Usually you just sleep with a down comforter. Which at first confused me. But then I fell in love with the idea. You see, I move a lot when I sleep. This usually means my sheets, blankets, and comforter get all messed up in the night and are always a pain in the butt to fix the next morning (well, on that rare morning I decide to make my bed). Here it doesn't matter how much I move, because fixing my bedding is like crazy easy. So great.

8. Biergartens
Biergartens are quintessentially German, and I love them. While they share similarities, each restaurant has it's own personality. My personal favorite is Badish Brauhaus (four stories of amazingness). But no matter the biergarten, they are all a great place to get yummy, cheap food and enjoy a great time with friends. 

Me, Bernie, and Gabriel drinking beers at the biergarten Cafe Bleu.

9. No Contract Cell Phones
In the States it's the norm to have a cell phone contract. Which of course is bloody expensive. And you are bound to a phone company for about two years. Fun... not. In Germany, cell phone contracts are not typical. In fact most people here just use prepaid SIM cards. Which I think is so darn brilliant.

10. Spielplätze, Parks, and Green Spaces
I could go on forever describing all the green spaces that Karlsruhe has, and I haven't even seen all of them. I so enjoy that the city has provided so many places for it's population to relax, play, and soak up nature. The playgrounds here are ridiculously cool (much better than the ones back home), and I love playing on them almost as much as the little kids. The parks, big or small, always impress. Green grass, plants, trees, and cool structures everywhere. I especially love the parks with lakes in them. Can't wait to go swimming in those this Summer. Another thing I really love is how in what otherwise could have been a place for concrete, the city has created a grassy area where wild flowers often grow. It always makes me happy to see that even though I live in the city, I get to see so much nature around me.

Th dog park near my apartment.

11. City Living
To me, "the city" has always been a magical place. I think this especially due in part to my upbringing in the suburbs. So I'm delighted to get to live in a city for a year. There's nothing quite like having everything nearby and easy to get to. I also love all the tall buildings (even though most aren't over 5 stories high). I even get to enjoy living in one of those "tall" buildings. So much about city living is really new and interesting to me.


12. Getting Airmail
I have always loved getting mail that isn't bills or junk mail. And being far away from home makes me love it even more. It's so exciting to open my mailbox to find a letter. Or get a package delivered. Always makes my day. I even bought a box to keep all the letters I get from my friends and family. So would you please, please, please, write me a letter and make me a very happy girlie?

Me with a letter from Juliette :)

My letter box. Isn't it pretty?

I am amazed by all the wonderful things that Germany has to offer! And there is so much more. It totally kills me that I won't be able to see and experience it all. Oh, to have limitless time and money to travel and explore. Someday.