Monday November 4, Paige and I brought th egirs to school and I walked the last half way to school. I dropped Elin and we were exactly on time because of the traffic and then I walked to Jana's doctor's appointment. This was about 18 minutes walk and when we got there we met Arjan and he went to the doctor with Jana. He came back from China yesterday so he had a very bad jetlag. It is 12 hours later in China so for hijm it was already evening. I went to the gym and when I came back home the cleaning lady was at Paige's home again (she comes every 2 weeks) and I talked to her for a long time. She is so nice and sweet! I think I can better talk with her than with my hostparents because she really seems interested in me and she Always helps me and my hostparents are too busy to talk to me sometimes. So for me, it is great that I sometimes have someone else to talk with! Then I made lunch and made some snacks for the girls and then I biked to Arjan to drop of the Ipads, headphones, stuffed animals and medicines. After that I walked to school to pick up the gris and to go to the music school again. After music, Elin's therapist came to Arjan's home and Jana made her homework. Then we had dinner all together and went swimming for an hour and then the girls had dessert and went to bed. I went home again and also went to bed.
On Wednesday I first went to the YMCA again and after that I called with my sister. It was really nice to speak to her again and we talked about a lot! She Always makes me happy! I really miss her! After we called I saw an e-mail about the follow-up assignment about the photography course I had to make. It is much work I had to do, but I like it. I have to edit 10 pictures with Polarr on my laptop and I had to choose 1 photographer and re-create one of his or her pictures. I chose for Barbara Kruger because her photographs with text in it really inspired me. At 2:00 pm I went to Arjan and grabbed some snacks for the girls and then I picked them up at school and brought Elin to her playdoctor. Then I went to the playground with Jana and after that we got back home and had dinner. Arjan was going out for having dinner again and I brought the girls to girls scouts and after that I gave them dessert and brought them to bed. At 11:00 pm Arjan got back home and I went to bed at Paige's home.
On Thursday, I first went to the YMCA and after that I called with some friends. It was really nice and we had to laugh very much! We called about 1,5 hour together and we didn't want to stop but one of my friends had to study and I had to make my lunch because I had to go to Arjan earlier today to make dinner. At 1:00 I started cooking at Arjan's place and at 2:30 I walked to school again to pick up the girls and go to gymnastics. But the girls didn't have much sleep tonight because Elin had a night mare again. Arjan also went to bed while I was cooking because he was so tired. When I picked the girls up from school Elin fell a sleep on my lap while Jana was playing at the playground at school so I decided to bring Elin home and go to gymnastics with Jana. AFter that we had dinner together and we went swimming and then I got back home to work on my follow-up assignment again. After that I went to bed.
On Friday, I went to the gym at 6:00 am to run on the tread mill and then I went to Arjan to help with making breakfast and bringing the girls to school because he was very busy with his work. Then I went to the gym at his place because I was not done with my workout and after that I got back home to work on my follow-up assignment for my photocourse again. It took a few hours but I am very happy with the result! After this I made my lunch and went to Arjan to grab some snacks. Then I picked up the girls from school and brought them to their first Hip Hop lesson. They really enjoyed this and they were very happy! They looked so cute while they were dancing like no one else was watching them! After we got back home I read together with Elin and then we had dinner at Marathon. Then I went out at Fado (Irish Pub) with some friends and we met there at 8:30 because then they didn't check ID's yet so we could go in and drank something. But unfortunately some girls didn't really like it so they wanted to go somewhere else at 11:00 pm and I went back home because I was sure I woudn't have been able to get in in another club because of the bouncers. I went back home and finished my follow-up assigment and handed it in. I am happy with the result! Here you can see the picture from the photographer Barbara Kruger I re-created.
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| My re-created picture from Barbara Kruger |
On Saturday I first did a workout at home and then I had a small breakfast. After this I walked to Fashion District (shopping mall) and went to H&M and Burlington to look for winterclothes, but unfortunately I couldn't really find something. After this I went to the Magical Gardens of Philadelphia together with Lara and this was so great! It is a garden with walls that are made of recylce things and mosaic and it is so beautiful! It is small but it is a wonderful place. Philadelphia has a lot of these walls you can see when you walk through smaller Streets a few minutes away from Center City! Then we had some lunch together and I went back home to relax a bit. At 5:00 pm I was at Arjan's place because we were going to the Kidz Bob concert together with 3 other families and the kids. Kidz Bob is a great kids band and they cover top 40 songs so that's why I wanted to join them. It was really great and the children can sing so beautiful! I realluy liked it! When I got back home, Paige was also back from Miami and I talked to her for a while and then we both went to bed.
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| Kidz Bop concert & Magic Gardens in Philly |
On Sunday, November 10 I slept a little bit longer than usualy and when I woke up, I went out for a run and I ran about 10 km. When I got bakc home, Paige was still sleeping so I tried to be quite and I made some breakfast. Then I updated my blog again and made a list with all the people I have already met here and talked with in the US. It turned out to be people! So Great! So many great new people! I love to meet new people and make new friends! At 11:00 am, Arjan brought the girls back to Paige's home and I had to watch them until 1 and I called with my parents and my sister together with them. This was really funny and the girls really liked to speak with them. After this I made lunch for me and the girls and then Paige got back home and went to a pumpkin place with the girls. Af ter this we had dinner together and we watched a movie. Then Paige brought the girls to bed and I talked with Paige about the schedule of next week. After that, I went to bed.
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| Linvilla Pumpkinland |
On Monday, November 11, the girls didn't have school and I first went to the gym before Paige had to go to her work. Then I helped the girls to get dressed and we went to the Franklin Institute. After this we played in Love Park and we picked up the lunchboxes at Arjan's place and then we went back home and had a late lunch. After this I painted their nails and braided their hair and then we had to go to music school. After this I made dinner for the girls (rice with corn, peas and chicken) and then I gave them a quick rince and we drew together for a while. Paige got back home earlier so she could bring the girls to bed. After this we talked about the plan for tomorrow and then I went to bed because I was really tired.
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| No School this Monday! |
On Tuesday, November 12, I brought the girls to school and then I went to the gym. After this I did the laundry and I called with my family. It was great to speak to them again and I also talked to my sister. Then I made some lunch and I prepared dinner for the girls because they had Klokhuis (dutch school) again after school. At 2:30 pm Arjan picked me up to go to school and pick up the girls. Then Gijs also joined us and we went to Klokhuis. I went to Trader Joe's to get the groceries for Arjan and then I went to Starbucks where he was working on his laptop and I worked on my laptop too. Then we picked up the kids and went back home. I gave them a small desert and brought them to bed and then I finally had my own dinner and also went to bed.
On Wednesday, November 13, I made breakfast for the girls and I made their lunch and Paige was ready earlier this morning so she could bring the kids to school and I didn't have to go with them. I went to the gym and after that I went to Honey's Sit (Restaurant) where I had brunch with Annalena (German Au Pair), Laura and Alexandra (Au Pairs from Colombia). It was really great! I only knew Annalena but the other girls were very nice and we had very much fun together! I had pancakes with bananas and chocolat chips and it was so great! After this I talked to Annalena for a while and then I got back home. I got a letter from the parents of one of my best friends and I really liked this!! At 1:00 pm I went to Arjan to cook dinner and then I bought a hot chocolate with my own bottle because I figured out that you can refill your own bottle and then you only have to pay the refill costs! So gret here in the US and its better for the environment as well! After this I went to school and brought Elin to her therapist and I went to a grocery store with Jana. Then we had dinner at Arjan's place and I bathed the girls and then I went back home.
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| Honey's Sit with Laura, Annalena and Alexandra |
On Thursday, November 15, I first went to the gym and then I went to Five Below to buy a hat, gloves and a scarf and now I am also 'winterproof'. It's getting colder and colder her and I am a little bit afraid for the winter, but we shall see what it's like. Then I went to Arjan to make some snacks and I went to school. On my way to school I texted Ilana if she wanted to grab a drink together. I met her 1,5 months ago at the Franklin Institute and she is a nanny and her kids go to the same school. She is so nice and it is so great to have someon like her to talk with when I am waiting to pick up the girls from school! We went to Saxyby's and I had a hot chocolate of course. Then we walked to school and let our kids play at the playgournd there for a while. Then Ilana got back home and I took the girls to gymastics. After that we went to Marathon to have dinner with Arjan and then the girls got a donut as dessert and we went back home. I helped them with putting on their pyjamas and brushing their teeth and then I went back home.
On Friday, I first went to the gym and then I went to Arjan to fold the laundry of the girls and to pick up their stuff. Then I got all the letters out of the mailbox and I got two! One from my uncle and one from the grandma of one of my best friends! So cute! I even had to cry about it a little bit because I think it is so sweet and cute if someone's grandma sends me a letter! After that I met Ilana at Rittenhouse square and we talked for a while and then we walked to school together and let the kids play for a while. Then we went to Taney (bigger playground quite close to the school) and their they played for about 2 hours. After that I brought them to hip hop and I could go inside the dance room the last 15 minutes and this was really great. They seem to enjoy it! After that we got back home and I gave the girls a shower and Paige got back home. We made dinner together and then we watched funny videos and Paige went out with a friend.
On Saturday I woke up really early because of the girls and I made them some breakfast. Then Paige went to the gym and I did some arts and crafts with them. I also finished my Dutch food for bringing to my friends this afternoon. I made something we call 'appelflappen' and 'kaasstengels'. The girls really liked them! When Paige got back home I went out for a walk. When I went outside I looked in the mailbox and then I saw a pink envelop and I immediately knew from who it was. It was a postcard from one of my Best Friends in The Netherlands. She wrote a very nice and cute message and she even put on some parfume! I really miss this girl! Especially her jokes! After reading it I went out for a walk and I called with my sister. Then I got back home and made myself ready for going to Bereket's place because that's where we were meeting up all together. Everybody made something from his or her home country and it was sooo great! I especially loved the things from South-AFrica because there were some more spicy things which I am beginning to like better. We had so much fun! I love these people! Just being crazy, and just be who you are and it's great! After this I got back home to relax a bit and then I went to bed.
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| Food from all over the world with my crazy friends! |
On Sunday I first made some breakfast for the girls and Paige went out for a workout and after that I went to the gym too. I ran on the tread mill for an hour and then I walked on the stairs for 20 minutes and I burned 1350 calories for the whole workout! Then I took a shower and made some lunch and after that Paige took the girls to Please Touch museum and I walked to the Liberty Bell for the cluster meeting. It was really great to meet all the Au Pairs of my cluster in Philly again and we drank something together at an Irish Pub and this was really nice! After this I walked around the city with Lara and we talked for a while and then she took a bus back home and I walked back home. I helped PAige with getting the groceries iniside and then she made cookies with the girls. After this we made dinner together. I made a ceasar salad and Paige made spaghetti and then we had dinner with the girls. After this we tried the cookies which were really yummie and we danced crazy together and we had so much fun! Then Paige went out to meet some friends and I brought the girls to bed.
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| Cluster meeting at the Liberty Bell!
On Monday, November 18, I first made some breakfast for the girls and I made them ready for school and then Paige and I brought them to school and I walked the last part with the girls. After that I went to the gym and then I walked back home. The cleaning lady was at our home again and I talke to her and this was really nice! I told her I found a new babysitting adress for during weekends for earning some extra money and she was really happy for me. She also told me that she could ask families where she has to clean if they need a babysitter and when she was gone she texted me only one hour later that she found a family who needs a babysitter! So great! I really love to talk with the cleaning lady because she really yunderstands me and takes the time to talk to me! At 2:00 pm I walked to school again and met with Ilana at Saxyby's and we walked to school together. Then we let our kids play for a while until I had to take the girls to the music school. After that Paig got back home and the therapist came for Elin and then we had dinner together. Paige went out and I gave the girls a shower and brought them to bed. And then I started making my own budget list with things I want to do in the US and after that I also went to bed.
On Tuesday I made breakfast for the girls again and helped them with getting dressed an brushing their teeth and then Paig brought them to school by herself again and I went to the gym. After this I took a quick shower and I biked to the center to buy a little present for the girls for Thanksgivinig. They don't really give presents here with Thanksgiving but I just wanted to buy a little present. So I bought mini squeezies (little things you can squeeze and then it gets it's Original shape again). When I got back home I called with one of my best friends in The Netherlands and it was really nice to see her again. We talked about a lot of things and it was really funny! After this I made dinner for the girls and i had some lunch and then Arjan picked me up because we had to pick up the girls and bring them to Klokhuis. After we dropped them I practiced driving the car with Arjan together because Paige has an automatic car and I had never driven an automatic car before. It was so easy! You only have to drive! I liked driving the car, so probably next week I can drive the kids to Klokhuis (with Arjan sitting next to me). Then I went to Starbucks to work on my budget list again and after that we brought the girls and Gijs back home and I made them a little dessert and then I brought them to bed. On Wednesday, November 20. I made the girls ready for school again and then I went to the gym and called with my mom and my sister. My sister has a testweek that is starting this Friday so she was a little bit stressed and that's why she needed me. I needed to talk to her too because I didn't know what to do during the Christmas break. After this I made lunch for me and the girls and went to Arjan to drop all their stuff. Then I walked to school and saw Ilana when I was on my way. We let the kids play for a while and I talked to her which was really nice. There were kids selling snacks to collec money for charity so I bought the girls little chocoloate pretzels. After playing for a while we walked to Arjan's place and made some homework. After that I brought Elin to her therapist and went to whole foods market with Jana to get some stuff we needed. After this we went to girls scouts and then we had dinner at Arjan's place. Then I talked to Arjan for a while and went back home. On Thursday, I first went to the gym and after that I made pepernoten dough. This is a Dutch recipe for little cookies which taste a bit like gingerbread spices and we usually make these with Sinterklaas, a Dutch holiday between Thanksgiving and Christmis. With this holiday we get lots of sweets and presents and we also wanted to celebrate it with the girls because they go to a Dutch school. Then I met Ilana and we bought a drink together and then we walked to school to pick up the kids. We let them play for a while and then I walked back home to make the pepernoten. The girls really enjoyed making them and we kept on making jokes! They were really yummie and we ate a lot of them! Then we went to gymnastics and after that we had dinner at Marathon again. I ordered my own created salad and this was really yummie! Then Arjan went out and I brought the girls to bed. When he got back home around 11:00 pm I went home and went to bed. 
Baking Pepernoten
On Friday I first went to the gym and after this I called with some of my friends which was really fun. So nice to see them again! I really really really mis my friends! I mis talking with them and making jokes with them, going out with them, having lunch together and just being crazy withh them. We talked for a long time and then I really had to go unfortunately… I was going to have a picnic with the girls at Rittenhouse square so I had to make some things for that. I walked to school with Ilana again and then we picked up our kids and I went to Rittenhouse square. I bought the girls a hot chocolate and then we had a picnic at the Park. Afer this we went back home and I made dinner. Then we had to walk to hip hop and the girls really liked it. While they were having hip hop, I walked around for a bit and then we walked back home and ate our dinner. Then we went swimming and a babysitter came to take it over from me. I went to Franklin Square and City Hall with Annalena because this was decorated for Christmas and it was really beautiful! After chilling there for a while and talking with each other we both biked back home. 
On Saturday I went to the gym in the morning and then I went to AC Moore, an arts and crafts shop that has everything. I bought some nice papers to make birthday cards for some of my friends and then I went to City Hall tomeet with some friends because it was Karolina's birthday yesterday. Some of my friends went ice skating, but I didn't want to because I am going to go ice skating with the next cluster meeting probably and you have to rent skates. Then we bought a drink and sat with Karolina and her family and after that we had pizza together. After that we all went home to get changed and make ourselves ready for KArolina's party. Around 6 pm I went to Karolina's and we did some games. It was really fun, but unfortunately I had to go home when they went to a bar because I am not 21 of course... Then I went home by bus which was a bit annoying because the bus didn't come so I had to wait outside in the rain for 30 minutes... But I finally got back home and went to bed.
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On Sunday, November 24, I woke up a little later and went outside for a walk and I went to Target to buy new shoe laces because one of mine was broken. Then I called with my parents and my sister and also with my grandma which was really nice! Then I met a new girl, named Alexandra, from Brazil and we did some shopping together. We both bought some new shoes and Alexanddra bought a new IPhone which is soooo cool! She bought the lila iPhone 11 and it looks sooo great!! We also had some ice cream together which was really yummy! After this I went back home and helped Paige with getting the Christmas tree inside and then the kids couldn't wait to decorate it with adornments! I had some dinner while they were decorating the tree and we put on some Christmas music which was fun! Then I made a plan for next week and went to bed.
Making new friends!
On Tuesday, November 26, I first made lunch for the girls and brought them to school by Uber and then I went to the gym at Arjan's place. After that I took a quick shower and called with my best friend from The Netherlands and this was so great! We called for more than one hour! And it was so cute because my friend told me that she felt much better after we facetimed with each other! I really miss this girl!:( After that I ate my lunch and made dinner for the girls because we had to go to Klokhuis again. After Arjan and I dropped them and Gijs, we went to Starbucks. There I tried the peppermint hot chocolate and this was really nice! I walked aroun because the weather was quite nice and grabbed another drink and then I had dinner with Arjan at Sweet Green. I had a salad which was great. We also did the groceries and then we picked up the kids and went back home.
On Wednesday, November 27, I first went to the gym and then I called with my parents and my sister. After this I went shopping in the city and I bought some new sweaters and a really great pants for only $70 all together because of the big Black Friday sale!!! I am soooo happy!! And I am sooo excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow! Can't wait! At 2:00 pm I walked to Arjan to make the snacks and then I walked to school and picked up the girls and we went to Elin's playdoctor. Jana and I walked to Wawa to grab a hot drink together (French vanilla latte) and then we got back home and I made dinner. Elin's other therapist came a bit later and after that I showered the girls and braided their hair while they watched 'primitive evolution'. This is a really nice YouTube channel with guys who are building houses for all kinds of animals. It is so great and the girls loved it! Arjan went out for having dinner and I stayed until 11:00 pm and then I went home and collected the last stuff I needed for the weekend in Harpers Ferry!
On Thursday, November 28, It finally was the day of Thanksgiving! I was so excited to meet the family! Around 9:00 am, Paige and I collected all the stuff and we went to Arjan to pick up the girls. Then we drove all the way to the grandparents house in Harpers Ferry. When we got there, the rest of the family had already started cooking. We took all our stuff inside and Paige's mother brought me to my room. It was a cute little sleeping room for myself! They have a very big house with an amazing view over the mountains. They also have a second home 3 blocks away which is used for AirBnb. This is a huge light blue house. I played with the girls while the rest fo the family prepared dinner. We had a great dinner with Turkey ofcourse, mashed sweet potatoes with pecanuts, mac & cheese, salmon, vegetables and another oven casserole. For dessert we had 3 really yummy pies: pumpkin pie, pecan pie and apple pie. When everybody was sitting at the table, the girls and I gave all the things we made for the grandparents and for Paige and I gave my present to the girl. They all really loved it! After having dinner together we watched a movie and then I went to bed.
Happy Thanksgiving!
On Friday, November 29, It was Black Friday. This means that a lot of shops have big sales. But I didn't really need something so I only bought some heels I really wanted. In the morning I made breakfast for the girls and then we decorated some ornaments and penguins. After we were done with this we went out for a walk together with uncle Josh and this was really funny! After lunch we went to a place with Christmas trees to look for one for the grandparents but they didn't have nice trees so we went to another place and they had a lot so we bought one there. We also had some hot chocolate and sat at the campfire for a while and then we got back home and ate the left overs from Thanksgiving.
On Saturday, I woke up earlier because of the girs and I went out for a run in the beautiful nature around Harpers Ferry in the direction to DC. I ran about 15 km and it was a bit hard sometimes because of the many hills but it was great! Then I had breakfast and the family was cooking because some cousin's were coming over to have brunch all together. We had 3 kinds of quiche, some salads, bagels, vegetables, smoked salmon and 3 pies as dessert. I ate way too much because it was all so yummy and it was really nice to meet everyone! We took some pictures with the family and then they left and we stayed about 2 hours longer and then we also got back home. When we were back home I saw a lot of mails and little boxes in the mailbox for me! One of my friends gave me a letter with a chocolate letter and Dutch pepernoten! My grandma gave me 2 letters and I got a postcard from the mother of one of my friends with a funny book. So sweet!! I was tired but Karolina's mom reserved a winter cabine for her and her friends so I wanted to go there too. It was really great and we had very much fun!
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| Winterfest with my crazy friends!
On Sunday, December 1 I first did a workout at home because the gym opens at 9:00 am on Sundays and Paige asked me if I could watch the girls from 10:00 untill 12:00 pm so she could go to the gym and do the groceries. Then I made breakfast for the girls and for myself and we did some arts and crafts together. Then we watched the movie Frozen together and Paige got back home. After putting all the groceries on the right place we had lunch together and then I went to City Hall to meet some friends. They were all German Au Pairs and I only knew Annalena and Lara, but the other two girls were also really nice. We walked through the Christmas market but because it was raining, we didn't want to stay outside for too long so we went to Fashion district to sit somewhere and grab a snack. I had cinnamon rolls which were really great! Then we went to some shops because there still was a lot of sale because of Black Friday. My mom asked me if I wanted to call my sister because she really needed me, so I went home earlier to call with her. It was nice to speak to her, but unfortunately we didn't have much time because it was already late in the Netherlands. So I told her I would call her back tomorrow!
On Monday December 2, I first made breakfast and lunch for the girls and then I went to the gym again. After that I biked to a post office because someone tried to deliver a package for me but I wasn't home because of Thanksgiving. I thought it was something I ordered online, but it turned out to be a big package from my parents for Sinterklaas (a Dutch holiday that's kind of the same as Santa who gaves presents). I almost started crying because this was soooo sweet. I immidiatly called them when I got back home and I wanted to thank them for it! Itsaid that I should open it on December 5, because that's the date Sinterklaas brings all the presents in The Netherlands, but because there were also some presents for the girls, I wanted to open it tonight because tomorrow they have Klokhuis and on Wednesday they will go to Arjan again. After eating my lunch I did the laundry and then I picked up the girls at school and we went to Music School again, Then we got back home and I mad dinner and Elin's therapist came again. When Paige got back home we could finally open the box all together and the girls loved it! They also got pepernoten and there were even presents for my hostparents! So cute! The girls started drawing in their new coloring books! After that I was really tired and went to bed. On Tuesday December 3, I first made the girls ready for school again and then we took an Uber to school. Because it was Tuesday, there was a lot of traffic again because of the trash pick up. That's why I wanted to go earlier. After this I went to the gym at Arjan's appartment and then I went back home. I looked on my laptop to look at some possibilities for what I can do next year and after that I made dinner for the girls because they had Klokhuis again and I made apple pancakes for lunch. Then we picked up the girls to go to Klokhuis and we went to Starbucks. I tried the Chestnut Praliné latte this time and it was really good! After this we went to Trader Joe's again and then we went back home. On Wednesday December 4, Elin was sick and she had to throw up several times this night so I brought Jana to school and Paige could stay home untill noon so I could go to the gym after bringing Jana to school. Then I took a quick shower and went upstairs to see how Elin was doing. I brought her som water and then she fell asleep again. I did the laundry and made my lunch and then Elin woke up and she felt much better. She was really hungry so I made her some tomato soup.
Arjan picked up Jana from school so I could stay home with Elin. She watched some tv while I called with my parents because they got the card I sent them for Christmas. Then I made some drawings with Elin and I made dinner. Only Jana had girls scouts today so it was great that Elin didn't have to go there. After girls scouts Arjan picked up Elin and I was done with work. I went to Christmas Village in Love Park and this was soooo great! It was really cute!!
On Thursday I first went to the gym because Arjan told me that Elin felt better and that I didn't have to work in the morning. After that I went back home and packed all my stuff for the weekend course at the LIU. I made my lunch, went to Arjan to make some snacks and then I went to school. Because Elin was really tired, I decided to drop her at home and go to gymnastics only with Jana. There I met Hendry again and we talked about the weekend course and what time we are going to meet at the Bus station tomorrow. I was really excited to go to the LIU with Prenisha and Hendry! After gymnastics, we had dinner at Marathon and I decided to try something new. I had the chicken pesto sandwich with mozzerella and oven dried tomatoes and it was really yummy!! After that we went to Insomnia Cookies to get a dessert for the girls. Arjan went out to drink something with a friend, so I stayed untill 11 pm and then I went back home and went to bed.
Friday morning I woke up at 7 am and I did a workout at home. Then I took a shower and checked if I had all my stuff for the weekend course. I dubble checked if I had my homework! Then I walked alll the way to the Greyhound station (about 40 minutes walk) and I grabbed a French vanilla latte. Then I met Prenisha and Hendry and we went to our bus. We all claimed 2 seats for ourselves because we wanted to sleep and there weren't that many people luckily. When we finally got in New York we ate some lunch and took the train to Hicksville station.There we met Daniëlla, a friend of Prenisha and Hendry and we went to the shuttle bus that brought us to the LIU for free and we went inside to get some papers and the keys for our room. It was a really nice room and it was also quite big. I liked it! I told Prenisha that it was okay for me if she wants to share a room with her friend Daniëla. When I chose my room, a girl came in because the door was open and she asked me if she could sleep here too. I was totally okay with that because I love to make new friends and it was a bunk bed, so it didn't really matter who you shared a room with. Her name was Bianca and she was from Austria and we talked a lot about everything. Her hostmom works for Cultural Care so she is totally obsessed with all the rules and that's a bit sad for Bianca... When we were settled we went downstairs to grab our dinner box. Thenw e had to go to the school building for our classes. Luckily it only was from 6 untill 8 today. After the class we met everyone in our rooms again and we put on some music and we made our own party. It was really fun!
On Saturday Bianca and I woke up around 7 and I took a quick shower. Then we went outside for a walk and we tried to find the building where we had to get our breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of the weekend. When we finally found it we met the others and ate our breakfast. It was a really nice buffet with everything you wanted! Then we went to our class and today we had classes from 9 untill 6.... So a really long day. Luckily my teacher was soo funny and she was fine with everything! We colored some butterflies, talked about child development and she told us her stories. Then we had lunch in one of the other buildings. After that we made a presentation about different ages and I had to make a presentation about 6-year-old kids with 4 other Au Pairs. One of the girls and I decided to portray everything the others of our group said like dancing, running, jumping etc. and we had so much fun while we practiced it! then we presented all our prewsentations and after that we watched a part of the movie 'Mathilda' because this also has something to do with child development. Everything she does to her parents is actually the result of all the agression she has becaus eher parents don't listen to her. So actually, the movie is quite vindictive, instead of only funny. After class we had dinner and this was also really good! then we went back to our rooms and Hendry joined us and we put on some music again. Everyone was really tired so we went to bed around 10 today.
LIU Child Development course with Prenisha!
On Sunday, December 8, I took a shower and then we went downstairs to go to the building where we could get our breakfast. Then we went to our classes again and today we had school untill 12:30. Luckily we could leave a bit earlier and I got my certificate! Unfortunately they spelled my name wrong... But I am happy that I have got all my 6 credits now even though I am only here since 3 months! After school we took a train back to Penn Station ( New York) and then we met some friends from Philly and New Jersey. It was really great and we had lunch in a great chinese restaurant and we went to Rockefeller Center to admire the big Christmas Tree and the light show. This was sooo great!!! I have never seen such a beautiful Christmas Tree in my whole life! We took some pictures together and then I decided to go back home because I was really tired and Hendry and Karolina wanted to stay until 10 pm and Prenisha was going to stay in a hotel with a friend. I went to the Bus station and grabbed a drink. Then I slept in the bus because I was so tired. When I got back home I saw all the beautiful decorations Paige had for Christmas and I talked to her about my course for a while. Then I went to bed.
New York, New York!!
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