15th Month

 This week (Nov 30th till Dec 6) I was really busy. My hostparents were very busy with work and the kids were pretty tough this week so I had quite a lot of stress and I was really tired after work. We were celebrating the Dutch holiday called ' Sinterklaas' or 'Sint Nicolaas', so the girls could put their shoe and at night time a few times this week and then Santa Clause but we celebrate this holiday from the second week of November till December 6th. Something typical we eat with this holiday are small cookies that are called 'pepernoten' and they taste a little bit like gingerbread. So this week I baked pepernoten with the girls which was very nice! I got a package from my parents last week for Sinterklaas and they also had a few gifts for the kids and my hostparents! Tonight we opened the presents together and they were very nice! So sweet that my parents did this for me and the rest! I miss them and my sister so much! Wish I could be with them for the holidays! It's so different here without my own family! Not that it's not nice! In contrary! But I just prefer to be with my own family during this time of the year and especially with this pandemic... This whole weekend I had a weekend course for my 3 credits of my extension period as an Au Pair. Al Au Pairs need to do courses to earn credits as part of our J-1 visa status. I preferred to do a weekend class again (same as last year for my photography and child development course), because then it's only one (very intensive) weekend and then I'm done. But unfortunately with this 'Discover the US virtually' course, there were and are so many assignments we have to do! But some are fun at least! And I also got to meet many nice new people who even contacted me after a class! So nice! On Saturday after my class I went out for a walk and I met with my friend Aaliyah to admire the Christmas Village in Philly which was beautiful!

Happy Sint Nicolas!!

This week (Dec 7th-13th) was a very busy and stressful week again. It was cold outside and the girls were busy with their schoolwork. We still had fun and we went to the playground a couple of times which was nice. Unfortunately there were not many friends they could play with, probably because of the cold weather. We played tac with some other kids and we did a lot of  movie nights this week. I finished my assignments for my weekend course from last week on Tuesday and I already received the credits for it on Wednesday! Also I booked my first trip for 2021 to Miami with my friend Mariame and I am really excited for this as it will be our last trip together as she will go home on January 11th. This weekend I was really busy planning my travel month which starts the first of March officially but I am gonna be off from February 19th because I am planning to join my friends to go to Alaska first. This is possible because I still have one week of vacation left then and because my host family is flexible which is really nice! I'm so happy my host family confirmed this weekend that I am allowed to go to Alaska! I've always wanted to go there!! On Saturday unfortunately my host mom got a phone call from her hairdresser she went to this Monday that she was tested positive for Covid-19.... This really sucks because that means my host mom might have been exposed even though they both wore masks of course... My host mom 'isolated' herself in her room immediately after she heard this and I took the kids outside for a few hours and then their dad took it over from me as it was my 'day off' actually as it was Saturday... I really hope none of us has Covid, but no one has symptoms yet at least and it has been a week already that my hostmom might have been exposed.. she'll get a test on Monday or Tuesday next week.. Hopefully it'll be fine as we're planning to go to the grandparents again next Sunday...

Love this view every morning!! #Morning run

This week (Dec 14 - 20th), was a very busy week. And I experienced the first snow in the US! It was amazing! I loved it! I could'nt even remember the last time I saw snow in my life! It felt so great! The kids loved it too! We had hot chocolate of course and we made a snowman. We also had a snowball fight which was fun. Unfortunately on Wednesday it was one of the worst days I had ever had with the kids... The youngest one really did not want to do school and she got kicked out of the meeting 3 times on one day because she behaved so bad. Even though she was muted, the teacher still saw her hitting me and freaking out. I started to cry and I didn't know what to do. Luckily my hostmom helped me out and in the afternoon when we went to Rittenhouse square, my hostdad came over which was nice. I took the oldest one to the playground  because I felt so bad for her as she had to deal with all of this. They both had a great time the rest of the day! On Friday I met a new Dutch Au Pair, named Romy, at City Hall and it was very nice! But so cold!! On Saturday I went for a run, (very carefully because there was still snow and ice!) and then I cleaned the house and called with my parents. Later I met with Mariame and Aaliyah and we walked around Christmas Village. On Sunday we left to Harpers Ferry all together (my host parents and the kids) and we celebrated the grandma's birthday. We organized a surprise party for her and she loved it!

Lovely Surprise party for the grandma!

This week (Dec 21st - 27th) the girls finally had the last schooldays of this year! They had school from Monday till Wednesday and they did a lot of fun Christmas activities which was nice. On Thursday we were baking cookies all day long and then we celebrated Christmas Eve with the whole family which was very nice and we had cheese fondue for dinner! I actually never had that before but I really loved it!! We played games afterwards and then we went to bed. Of course the girls were very excited because the next morning there would be lots of presents under the Christmas Tree! Even though they know Santa is not 'real', they still act like they do and they love Christmas and getting all the presents of course! They woke up at 6:00 AM on Christmas, and they had to wait for everyone else to be there to open the presents and of course that caused a lot of drama, especially for the youngest one... When everyone got together, we had a nice breakfast while the girls started opening some presents. The rest of the family did 'Secret Santa', but because I already bought presents for everyone, I didn't join with that. I bought some personalized gifts for my host family and luckily they liked them! I got very nice and sweet presents too! So sweet!! Later that day I called with my family and some friends and then for dinner we had a delicious curry with shrimp! I loved it! We also had some apple cake which one of my hostmom's sister made and that was so delicious!! On Saturday I called with another friend and my parents for a bit and we went for a little walk in the afternoon. Later we watched 'Home Alone' all together with some pizza and salad which was nice! On Sunday it was time to say good bye unfortunately. It was hard for me this time, as I knew I would probably not see everyone together again before I leave. I might not even see anyone other than my host parents and the girls. I thanked everyone for making me feel home. This family is wonderful and I wish I could spend more time with them... But I'll definitely come back!!!

The most wonderful time of the year, with the most wonderful people!

This week (December 28th - January 3rd) was finally the last week of the year! On Monday we went to the playground with some of their friends which was fun.  I was off a little more this week which was great so I had some time to figure out some more things for my travel month. My hostmom was in New York this week till Thursday and the girls stayed at my host dad so I also had some more time for myself. For New Year's Eve I didn't do anything special as my friend canceled last minute and I booked a bus to New York for Friday very early in the morning so I slept at my hostdad's as he was in New York already and then I just spent the night there. I went to bed early and woke up to see the fire works which was nice. Unfortunately I couldn't fall back asleep and then my alarm went of at 5:00 AM... I slept in the bus luckily and I arrived in New York at 7:40. I walked around Rockefeller Center, Hudson Yard and Central Park and then I met with a Dutch friend, Jessie, and we went to the Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge and we took the ferry along the Statue of Liberty which was fun. Then we had dinner at a nice restaurant with outdoor seating in small glass houses. It was a great day! On Saturday I ran half a Marathon and I went to some stores and then I had to watch the girls for a few hours. On Sunday I did a workout in the morning and I went for a walk and then I just relaxed at home.

Happy New Year!!

14th month

This week (November 2nd - 8th) I came back from an amazing trip to Colorado on Monday morning, It was really exhausting cause I had an overnight flight and I arrived at 6:30 and started working at 8:30. But I made it through the day and I even did a workout in the evening. I had a nice week with the kids. A few ups and downs as always, but it was quite good! I took them to the playgrounds a lot because the weather was great and I organized a girlsnight for them and their friends on Friday at one of their friend's houses. I did their make up and hair, painted their nails and I baked cookies for them. The parents ordered pizza for the kids and we had Thai food which was delicious. Later at night we made s'mores at a campfire which was really nice! On Saturday I went out for a run in the morning and then I went to soccer with my hostfamily as a surprise for the girls. They kept asking me when I was gonna watch them play so I finally did this and they loved it! Unfortunately the youngest one fell from the monkey bars at the playground there and she had a little head ache... She's all fine now though luckily! After that I met with my friend Jasmine and we walked around the city because many people were goin crazy because Biden probably won the elections. Many people were singing and being crazy which was amazing to see. Then Hendry joined us and we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant which is called 'Alice'. The food was really good! On Sunday I called with my family and friends and then I went hiking with Jasmine at Ridley Creek State park which was amazing! We had a picnic there and the hike was very nice! Especially with all the beautiful trees with all their colors!!

I love Fall!!

This week (November 9th-15th) it was getting so cold in Philly... Brrr it's so freezing that it's even too cold to sit still outside for one hour. At least it was sunny and only 2 days it was raining a bit so I still took the girls to the playground. Luckily we didn't go to gymnastics this week as one of the crew members was tested positive for covid! Also Jana didn't go to KO12 as one of the kids in another class was tested positive for Covid too... So the kids were both home all week which was pretty hard sometimes. I had quite a lot of stress to help them both at the same time. To reduce this stress a bit I worked out a lot again. On Saturday I went out for a run (I ran half a marathon again!) and later I did the same route with the bike. After that I met my Dutch friend Aaliyah and we walked for a bit and then we sat at Rittenhouse. After that I went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant with another friend in Fishtown which was nice! I think this will be my last time going out for dinner in for a while as I think some new restrictions will be announced tommorow... I assume restaurants will be closed soon again and also the gyms etc... So I'm gonna buy some stuff this weekend before everything closes!

On Sunday I went out for lunch with Aaliyah and Jasmine and then I went to Longwood 

Gardens which was very beautiful!! I loved it!

Spontaneous ideas are the best!

This week (November 16th - 22nd) was a long week again. The girls were both at home all week so I had to figure out my way to deal with this sometimes. It was a tough week again with the yougnest one and during week I didn't meet anyone and I couldn't go to the gym because we would go to the grandparents in Harpers Ferry this weekend and we had to be very careful because of Covid... On Thursday I did a test myself because I ordered a kit for free together with my hostmom. On Friday the kids had to do a test and this was a big disaster... The youngest one totally freaked out... But luckily they did it and we are all 'negative' so we couOn Friday night I went to Franklin Square with Aaliyah and Elias which was really nice brecause of the beautiful Christmas decorations! We set around the campfire which was awesome! On Saturday I ran half a Marathon again and then I biked to Wissahickon with Myra and we went for a little hike there. We also took some nice pictures. So Saturday I basically worked out for 4 hours... Woops...

On Sunday we left to Harpers Ferry! I am so excited for Thanksgiving next Thursday and I am so Happy to be there again for a week!!

Hiking with Myra!

This week (November 23rd - 29th) we spend the whole week in Harpers Ferry. It was really nice and I was sad when i had to leave again on Sunday... On Wednesday one of my hostmom's sisters came too with her baby and husband. Then Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving and the other sister and her boyfriend came and we were cooking all day long! It was a great day though! With lots of delicious foods! We had mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes with pecans, salmon, green beans, mac& cheese and last but not least: the turkey of course! On Friday we bought the christmas tree for the grandparents and we went to a cute brewery for dinner which was really nice! On Saturday I first went out for a run and I ran half a marathon again. And then we went for a nice hike all together and then we played games. We also watched some movies this week with the whole family which was so nice! I really love this family and I am so glad to experience these holidays again with them! Can't wait to go back there for Christmas! On Sunday I met with a good Dutch friend Sharon, who was on a little road trip and had her last stop in Harpers Ferry. It was so nice to see her again after one year! We met at the photography course I did in New Jersey / New York last year but we didn't have the possibility to meet each other after that because of covid. So it was great to walk and talk for a bit!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

13th month

 This week (Sep 28 - Oct 4th) I was working all day again and I helped the youngest one with school. It was pretty tough this week as she didn't really listen well, but I was so happy when it was Friday! Luckily I also met with some friends this week after work. I called with some friends, called my family and my grandma because she just moved to a care center. I'm very happy for her because she really looked forward to move there, but I'm also really sad that I'll never see the house the way it was again. I used to clean her house every week and I loved it because every time I was there it felt like my grandpa was also there. But my wonderful sister made a really nice and cute video of her house! I cried the whole time I was watching tho! This weekend I met two new Au Pairs from Colombia and we had a picnic along the river which was really nice! On Saturday morning I ran 22,5 km again and I was proud I did it again! On Sunday I met with Carolina, one of the Colombian girls and we went to French Creek State Park which was really beautiful! I loved it! It was a nice weekend! Sad it's over already...

Hiking trip at French Creek Park with Calorina!

This week (October 5 -11th) was a busy week with the kids again. I think everything was a little too much for me this week. I sometimes did a work out 2 times a day to reduce my stress. It didn't help a lot but at least I felt a little better after I worked out. The youngest one was pretty tough again this week. Also I was a little disappointed when my host mom told me she is not comfortable with me going on the National Park road trip I had in my mind (Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado). And I'm not allowed to join my friend Linda on her trip to Texas to visit one of our friends because Thanksgiving is 2 weeks after that and then my host mom always goes to her parents and she thinks it's too risky then with Covid... Totally understandable though! But I was just sad because I really looked forward to go on a bigger trip again... Hopefully my host family allows me to go to Colorado, but we'll see. This week I met a lot with Hendry and we went to the pool at my host dad's apartment building. I also used the gym there this week which was nice. On Saturday I called with some friends in the Netherlands which was really nice and then I went shopping a bit with Hendry. Later we celebrated my friend Mariame's 25th birthday (which actually was on Sunday) by going out for dinner and she bought a banana cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory which was delicious! On Sunday we finally went to New York again which was amazing! I love this city! We walked around Central Park, Hudson Yard, Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo! It was great!!

New York is always a good idea!

This week (October 12th - 18th) was a week as usual. I was home with the youngest one all day and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the oldest one was also home. Usually she goes to KO12 (little 'school') on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, but this week she had test on Thursday so we decided it would be better for her to stay home for that. So I was really busy with helping both of them this week. I had a lot of stress and I worked out twice a day to try to reduce this stress. I really love working out and it is my 'clear my mind' moment. But my host family thought something was wrong with me or so... They know I work out every day, but now they noticed too that I worked out a lot and I didn't eat as much as usual. But I was just stressed so that's why I also wasn't that hungry. I still tried to eat as normal but sometimes I really couldn't eat much. I met with my friend Myra a few times which was really nice and on Friday I went to a little backyard 'party' at Franco's house which was awesome. We had nice music and we danced a bit with some other Au Pairs. On Saturday I ran 21,3 km again and this was awesome with the great fall weather (sunshine and fresh air!) And then later I brought some clothes to a second hand shop because I wanted to get rid of a lot of clothes I never wore. I called with some friends and then at night I went to King of Prussia again and this time we cooked an amazing Italian dinner all together (pizza and risotto). I met great new Au Pairs and it was so much fun! I was sooo happy my host family allowed me to sleep at Franco's house in his guestroom with another Italian Au Pair, because we would go hiking the next day and we wanted to leave early in the morning. So today (Sunday) we went hiking at the Bushkill Falls and Delaware Water Gap National Park area. It was amazing!! I loved the view!

Enjoying life in the nature!

This week (October 19-25th) I didnt really do anything special. It was a really tough week with the youngest one and I couldn't handle it anymmore. I worked out a lot to reduce the stress a bit, and I wasn't really hungry. I called with a few friends and I tried to figure out how to rent a car for my trip to Colorado next week with Linda. Luckily there's another girl who is going to join us and she's 27 so she can rent the car which is way cheaper. We don't have to pay $40 extra per day for young driver fees then! I'm really excited to go to Colorado and visit beautiful parks! This Friday I went to the Poconos for one night with my friends Jasmine and Hendry. Jasmine's friend has parents who have a house there and he stayed there since the 'lockdown'. It is a really beautiful area and I loved it! Even though it was only for a really short time, I enjoyed every second! We made a campfire and we did a boat tour at night time which was really nice. In the morning I went out for a run in this beautiful nature and I loved it! It was quite a run with all those hills but I enjoyed it! On Saturday I met with Linda and some other girls because she was finally back in Philly and this was her 'goodbye-party' because she will be in her travel month next week and after that she'll only come back to get her stuff and then go home. Luckily I'll still see her next week in Colorado! On Sunday I worked on my laptop and I went to a few shops and I relaxed a bit.

Poconos for one night was amazing!

This week (October 26th - November 1st) passed quickly! I was really excited for my trip to Colorado for this weekend, but I was also really stressed as I was the only one who really wanted to book the hotel and the car last weekend. So I ended up just booking everything and luckily the girls were ok with that. The kids were pretty tough this week so I was so glad I was off on Friday! On Thursday night my weekend trip started. The flight to Denver was not crowded at all! I had a whole row in the plane for myself! So chill! When I arrived I met the girl who was joining Linda and me on our trip. Her name is Gregoria and she lives in Chicago as an Au Pair. I met her in a Facebook group. Her friend was gonna join us too but then on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday we drove through the Rocky Mountain (not the main mountains because of the wild fires), Flatirons, Chautaqua Park, Lost Gulch Lookout and we went to a place called ' Nederland' which means 'The Netherlands' in Dutch. This was such a cute little town and I loved it!! And I drove through the mountains for the first time in my life! I loved it!! We stayed in an AirBnb and the owners invited us to go out for dinner with them at a nice restaurant in Denver. It was really nice! On Saturday we invited them to join us to go to the Red Rocks, Garden of Gods and a few other parks around Colorado Springs. We went hiking together which was beautiful! On Sunday I went out for breakfast with Linda because this would be the last day we would see each other for a longer time. I can't believe she's going home soon after her travel month. I am gonna miss her sooo much! But I wish her all the best back in Germany! After that we went to Denver all together to go go the Contempary Art museum. Then we dropped Linda at the train station because she had a flight to Utah and we drove to Idaho Springs. This is literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life! The town where we spend most of our time was called Georgetown. It is so beautiful here! We also went to the Hot Springs there and that was amazing! So sad I had to leave already... 

I already miss Coloraddo and it's beautiful Mountains...

12th month

 HAPPY 12 MONTHS!! OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! I am already here for 1 year!???This week (August 31st - Sep 6th) The girls started with school again! On Wednesday they had there first online school day! The girls both did a really great job even though it was hard sometimes to keep paying attention to a screen... Luckily they are able to go to a small 'school', called Kids On 12 (KO12) 3 times per week from 8 till 3. On Thursday they had the first day of KO12 and they really enjoyed this! When I picked them up at 3 they were sad because they didn't even want to go yet! For me it was great to have some time off and next week I'll have the same on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. But on Monday it is Larbor Day so then I am off. On Wednesday evening I celebrated my One year USA a little bit with my friend Maryam. We bought cookies at Insomnia cookies (Philly's best cookies) and we went out for a walk which was great! On Saturday I left to King of Prussia (Pennsylvania)n very early in the morning(5:30 AM!) to meet my friends and go to Ocean City (Maryland) for the weekend! I was soooo excited for this and I had such a great time! I never expected it to be this much fun! the boys rented jetski's and this was awesome! We had dinner together, went to the beach, had a lot of fun and threw a party at the beach on Sunday night to celebrate my one year USA! We made a bonfire and made s'mores! And on Monday i came back in the afternoon and my hostfamily had a very nice surprise dinner for my one year anniversary! I almost had to cry when I saw this! The girls made drawings for me, there was a big 1 balloon, and we had crowns! It was a very nice little party! I really appreciate it!

HAPPY ONE YEAR USA!!!

This week (Sep 7th - 13th) I was really busy with the kids again! Luckily they went to KO12 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday again so I had some time off which  I used to go to the gym, do the groceries and call some friends and my family. On Wednesday and Friday I was the 'teacher' and it actually went pretty well this week! Even the youngest one did a really great job! I was so excited when my friend Linda asked me if I still wanted to go to the Niagara Falls with her and tow other girls because they decided last minute to still go there! Of course I said YES and I immediately confirmed with my hostfamily if this was ok for them. Luckily they were fine with it so I left on Friday night at 10:30 PM! The first plan was to leave on Saturday really early in the morning, but then we would not use this day to see the falls so we decided to leave on Friday. My friend Marilia (from Brazil) was the driver and I am still so impressed she drove all the way there without many stops! We only had a few 10 min stops for gas! I am so proud of her!! At 6:30 AM we arrived at the wonderful Niagara Falls with the sunrise! It was AMAZING! No words for this view! Even though it was so freezing outside and we didn't bring any warm clothes, it was definitely worth the whole drive! We did the boat tour (Maid of the Mist) and the walking tour (Cave of the Winds) and they were both so amazing!!! After we did these tours we dropped our stuff at the hotel (5 mins from the Falls!!) and then we drove to Buffalo to try the famous Buffalo Chicken at the Anchor bar. It was really yummy! After this we went back to the Niagara Falls to see them by night and this was so beautiful!! Then we went back to the hotel and went to sleep because we were awake for about 40 hours already! We all slept within one minute and on Sunday we went to Watkins Glen State Park (that was on our way back to Philly) and this was also really beautiful! Even though it was raining all day, we really enjoyed our hike!

Dreaming at the Niagara Falls!

This week (September 14th - 20th) I was home with the youngest one all day and I helped her with her zoom meetings. The oldest one went to KO12 and on Wednesday and Friday they were both home. These two days are the hardest days because then they need help at the same time and there's a lot of frustration because of that. Luckily I was able to meet with some friends during the week at night and this calmed me down a bit. On Friday I had a little goodbye party from my friend Bernelee from South-Africa which was really nice and on Saturday I had a picnic with my friend Myra and after that I went to the pool with Hendry. Then I had dinner at a restaurant with my hostmom and the kids which was nice and on Sunday I went to Marsh Creek park (a nice nature park in PA) with Franco. After that we watched the Eagles game at Cira Green which was nice, even though they lost... And then I went to Fashion District with Myra to buy some warmer clothes because it's getting colder here unfortunately...

Hello Pumpkin Season!

This week (Sep 21 - 27th) I was really busy again with the kids. It was really tough with the youngest one this week, because she really didn't pay attention at her teacher when she had her zoom meetings. The teacher even had to remove her 2 times because of her behavior... I sometimes really didn't know what to do, but it is good to learn how to deal with this. On Wednesday my hostmom went to Delaware to visit one of her friends for a couple of days and the kids were at their dad's, so when I was done working, I was home alone. So I asked my hostmom if it would be ok if some friends would come over to chill on the rooftop and luckily she was fine with that. I ended up only hanging out with my friend Hendry once, because the rest was working or couldn't join and some were traveling. But it was nice! On Friday I went to Penn's Landing (The river side with a fair) with my friends Jasmine, Hendry, Marilia, Alejandra and I met another girl (I forgot her name). It was really nice and when the fair closed at 11:00 PM  (because of Covid-19) we went to the river and danced on some music which was so fun! I came back home at 2:00 AM and when I woke up, my friend Franco texted me that he and his friend Jenny (a German Au Pair) could pick me up in 15 mins if I wanted to join them on a trip to Minnewaska State Park in NY and the beach this weekend. I was totally in shock because it was 8:45 and I just woke up, didn't pack anything and was so NOT prepared because I thought they didn't go there anymore. But I made it! In 15 mins I was totally ready to go! And it was AMAZING!! This park was soooo great! It was beautiful! We did an 8 mile hike and it was gorgeous. At night we stayed at Franco's uncle's house in Colonia (NY) because they weren't home, and on Sunday we went to the beach where we met with some other friends. I am so happy I met Jenny! She's so nice and I love her enthusiasm and the way she is! Hope to make more trips with her!

Amazing place with amazing people!

11th month

(August 3rd-9th)

HAPPY 11 MONTHS USA!!! YAAY! 

This week we had a lot of activities going on. Elin had summer camp but Jana still not because everything was full. She did have some tennis and gymnastics lessons so at least she had something. And this weekend I went to the windy city: CHICAGO!!! With my friends Aaliyah (Dutch Au Pair) and Maryam (Italian Au Pair) we left on Friday! OMG! I LOVED IT!! I literally enjoyed every single second of this trip from the beginning till the end. Even though it didn't start well because one of my friends missed her flight, we had an amazing time! Luckily she just took the next flight and got this for free because she had the excuse that the plane was too full and she didn't feel comfortable with that because of Covid-19! How genius! On Friday I went to the Wrigley Field stadium with Maryam when Aaliyah was not there yet. We went to The world's biggest Starbucks, walked along the river and took some great pics and when Aaliyah arrived we changed and took a shower to get ready to go out and take some nice pictures in Millennium Park. At our hotel we met another Au Pair from Germany and we asked her to join us for dinner. We had dinner at the Navy Pier (Deep Dish -> pizza) which was delicious! On Saturday we went to the Buckingham fountain, Water Tower Place, Chicago Theater, James M. Nederlander theater, Riverwalk and some other nice places around the city. In the evening we had a sunset boat tour and this was the most beautiful boat tour I've ever made in my life! No words for this! I enjoyed every second of the 2,5 hour trip! We got one hour extra for free because of high thigh and we loved this because that's why we saw Chicago by night too! On Sunday we went to the Sky deck (at the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower) which

was also really really awesome! Unfortunately we only had 60 seconds to take pictures in the glass cubes.. But we stayed at the other part of the deck for 1 hour! I can't have enough of the great view of Chicago! Everything looks great! I am in love with this city and it's definitely my favorite city in the USA so far!

Chicago, I love you! Hope to see you soon again!

This week (August 11th - 17th) the girls both had camp again so I had some free time which was nice! I worked out and called with my family and friends and I cleaned quite a lot around the house or prepared dinner already so I didn't really relax when I was free but that's just how I am I think. I can never really 'relax'.. On Tuesday I met with Hendry and Bereket and we played some games which was fun. I am so sad Bereket is leaving in two weeks already... Can't believe how many people are leaving... It's so sad.. It makes me want to go home too sometimes to be honest... On Friday I went out for a walk with Maryam and on Saturday I had lunch with her and Aaliyah (the girls I went to Chicago with) and this was great. After lunch we went to the Fashion District (shopping mall) and we went to some shops and I bought one jumpsuit which was $54 first and I got it for $16! So happy with it;)  In the evening I went to a bar outside with Hendry (outside they don't check my ID!) and he bought a margarita for me and this was really good! We also played card games which was fun! On Sunday I had a virtual cluster meeting and I practiced some Spanish (as I usually do every day now since a few months).

This lunch was delicious!!

This week (August 18th - 23rd) the girls had the last week of camp. When they had camp, I did the laundry, cleaned the house a bit and i washed the sheets. I also called with some friends and family which was nice. I took the girls to the playground a few times where they could meet with some friends and play together. The weather was great this week too so that was nice! On Tuesday I met with some friends in Fishtown at a café / bar and we went to a great fair at Penn's Landing (the river park). On Thursday I met with a girl I met in Chicago and we went out for a long walk and got some ice cream on our way. On Friday we went out for dinner together in Fishtown at a place called ' Chue. It is a really nice ramen restaurant and we tried a lot of great things! After that we went out for a walk and we drove to the other river on the other side of center city. On Saturday I had a goodbye party from Bereket and this was really really nice! We danced a lot on Spanish music, had some nice drinks and snacks and we just enjoyed being all together for probably the last time. I am sad so many friends are leaving, especially all my closest friends and my Dutch friends... But I'm also so happy I made some new friends too! On Sunday we drove down to the grandparents in Harpers Ferry again for a few days. We'll probably stay until Wednesday! I am happy to go there again as I love running around in the beautiful nature there! My hostmom's sister's and their husbands are also coming over! So nice!

I had an amazing party and we drove down to Harpers Ferry!

This week we were still in Harpers Ferry until Wednesday. We celebrated Jana's early birthday party for the family with cake and a taco night which was great and we went out for some hikes. I went out for a run a few times in the great nature and we just spent time with the family. I saw baby Jack for the first time (the baby of  my hostmom's sister) and he is soooo cute! On Thursday the girls had a birthday party from Matthew ( Bereket's hostkid) and Hendry and I were also invited. It was a nice party and after that we spent time on my rooftop which was great. I can't believe this is the last night we will be all together (Hendry, Bereket and me) because Bereket went home today... On Saturday I went out for lunch with Linda and a new German Au Pair named Mira. It was really nice and we went to Fashion District to do some shopping and then I biked to the river with Linda and we chilled at Cira Green (the rooftop at the river) which was nice. On Sunday I went out for a run in the morning and quickly stopped by at Bereket's to say Goodbye... It felt so weird to say goodbye to such a nice friend... But for me it was definitely not a goodbye! It was more like a 'see you soon'!! After that we celebrated Jana's 8th birthday with a brunch and then we went to a climbing park with two of her friends. What should have been a great adventure, turned into a huge disaster when she bumped into a tree... She used one of the obstacles as a zip line but you couldn't do that... No protection around the tree so she bumped her head and body totally into it... Poor thing... She went to the hospital and everything turned out to be fine but her party got totally messed up.. I feel soooo sorry for her... I ended up having a movienight with her sister...

Harpers Ferry & Jana's 8th Birthday Party!

10th month

This week (July 6th till July 12th) it was the first week of summer camp for the girls. I practiced driving my hostmom's car together with her and it felt like I used to drive every day again so that's good! My host parents decided it would be best if I get my US driver's license because I am actually officially not allowed to drive with my Dutch or international driver's license anymore. First I was a little sad because I really hated doing my practical and theory exam in the Netherlands because there they are really strict about it, but I decided just to give it a try in a few weeks or so and try to calm down and just do it. I like driving and I would love to drive more and now it's summer break my host parents really need me to drive the girls to more things which is great! Next week I can finally drive alone so that's nice! This week I met with Hendry a few times at my hostdad's apartment building because the pool and rooftop are opened. It's actually only opened for residents but for some reason they think Hendry lives there so now they 'know' his face and he can just go in there, (So funny)! On Thursday night I did a picnic dinner with some friends again which was great and I called with my sister and my best friend which was really nice! I also heard from my hostmom that she is gonna take me and the girls to New England, in Maine from July 18th till July 25th! I am sooo excited for this! I can't wait to go there! And I am so lucky I am still traveling a lot with my hostfamily during this pandemic! I am very thankful for that! During the weekend I just hang out with friends, we went out for a walk, had some ice cream and we chilled at the river. On Sunday I went to Wissahickon by bike which took me 40 mins but it was amazing! I really love this park because it is beautiful and just the fact that it is pure nature makes me so happy and calm. I also called with my family on Sunday which was nice.

#Me, swinging life away!

This week (July 13th - 19th) was the second week of summer camp for the girls. I had to drive them by myself this week which was great! Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic tho… Every day when I had to pick up the girls in the afternoon there was soo much traffic that it could even take me an hour to get there, (instead of 35 minutes..) But anyways, I like to drive and it is so much easier in an automatic car! I also had a little more free time when the girls had summer cmap, so I went to the pool a lot again and I chilled on the rooftop with Hendry. On Thursday night I hung out with some friends and on Friday too. On Saturday we left to New England, Maine, with my hostmom and the girls. We had a short stop in Stamford, Connecticut, to have some lunch and to meet my hostmom's friend there and then we drove all the way to Wells, (beach area in Maine). Our stay here is so wonderful! It is so nice and we even have our own golf cart! There's a gym, pool, clubhouse (18+) and the beach is pretty close (5 mins drive). So I am excited to stay here for a week! Also something really exciting happened today because my hostmom's sister got her baby! It is a really cute little boy, named Jack! I am so happy for them!

Vacation in Maine!

This week juli 20th - 26th I was in Maine the whole week! I had an amazing time and I did a lot of fun things! I went on a sailboat for the first time and I went on a real lobster boat! We went to the beach every day which was awesome and the weather was great! On Wednesday I went to Boston which was also really nice! I walked 23 kilometers but it was definitely worth it! I went to the Boston Common, Botanic Garden, Tea Party ships, Freedom Trail, Monument and Mike's Pastry shop. I tried lobster and it was better than I thought! My hostmom even ordered a whole lobster and she could choose the lobster she wanted! I had never really seen that in real life before so it was pretty exciting for me! I had such a great time in Maine and I hope to go back there ever again! On Friday it was my dad's birthday and my family went to Vlissingen as a surprise for him! Unfortunately my sister and I couldn't give him the present I bought in Nashville (a cap from Coopers-> famous tv show) because we didn't go to the Netherlands anymore. On Suday I called my family again and I heard my cousin is pregnant! I am soooo excited and happy for them!! I can't wait!! I also called two of my dutch friends and one of them was turning 20 today so I wished her a happy birthday! Miss them all so much!!!

 I had such a great time in Maine and Boston! I'm in love with Boston!

This week (July 27th till August 2nd), the girls had summer camp again. Or at leas they were supposed to have summercamp. They both went to tenniscamp on Monday and Jana really liked it, but Elin did not. So my hostparents immediately tried to find something else for Elin. They ended up with the same camp the girls went to last year and Elin really loves it there. So on Tuesday Jana went to tenniscamp and Elin to Pre K camp. On Wednesday Jana couldn't go to summercamp anymore. We told her this was because someone got the virus in her group, but it actually was because there were shootings on that place on Tuesday night... And the area where her tenniscamp was, was West Philly which is not the nicest area but her camp seemed to be fine.. But the rest of the week I did a lot of fun things with Jana and took the girls swimming after Elin's camp so she still had a great week! I had to say goodbye to three good friends unfortunately... Two of them are going to extend with another family in another state and one girl went back to Poland. I'm sad so many people are leaving..
This weekend I made lunch with Alexandra (a Brazilian Au Pair who's gonna move to a new family next week). I made bananabread and she made yummy risotto! Linda also joined us and I rode the electric scooter of my hostmom to Alexandra's house (30 mins!) It was the first time I used this scooter and my hostmom never used it either but it's so fun!! I loved it! I also met my Local Coordinator for a little bit because I passed the place where she was having lunch with her family. Right before I left, Bereket also came over to say hi. I also called with some friends and family this weekend which was great!

Enjoying my time back in Philly

9th month

Week 10 of the quarantine already! I finally got to see some friends this week! But of course still with 6 feet apart and we wore face masks of course. I just really needed to see and talk with someone in real life because I wasn't really able to do this for 10 weeks! Not because my host parents didn't let me, but more for my own safety and the safety for my host family. And I also know they won't be happy if I would just meet with a lot of friends on a Saturday night, so I just didn't do that. This week was a week as 'usual' with the girls and we did some picnics again and we made their homework and went outside a lot. On Friday it was really warm outside 86 F! (30 C) The girls and I had so much fun washing the car together and we had a water fight. Later my host dad came over and we went on a dinner picnic which was great! On Saturday I called with some friends, and it was one of my friend's birthday and I sent her a card a few weeks ago which arrived last week and she told me she was very happy with it! Later in the afternoon we departed to Harpers Ferry again, but now for a really exciting reason: WE ARE GOING TO DRIVE TO FLORIDA! And the grandparents are joining! Also because we are staying in the house of my host mom's grandparents who died last year, it is nice that they are joining us. On Saturday we drove for about 8 hours and we will have a stop in Chattanooga, (TN) over the night. We stayed in an amazing Air Bnb with a hot tub!!! I am so excited for the rest of our trip!! I really can't wait to see Pensacola and the beach there and I need a trip like this! Even though I still have to work and make homework with the girls, it feels a bit like 'vacation' I think. 

                                                                First stop: Chattanooga 

This week (May 18th -24th) was really nice! I am so happy to be in Florida! Such a beautiful place is Pensacola! The house where we are staying is great. The pool is awesome, beaches are gorgeous, the weather is also great and the nature is beautiful! I wish we could stay here longer! Even though everybody is working, and the girls have schoolwork, it still feels a bit like 'vacation' because of the environment here. But the girls are being quite tough since the last few weeks and they are frustrated a lot. So this happens with me too and that's why I miss my family and friends a lot. Luckily we went to the beach two times this week which was great and this always makes me feel better. I love the sea! We also did some picnics with the girls and I went out for some nice runs! On Sunday I did a canoe trip with the grandfather and Jana. It was quite an adventure because it was like we were in a jungle and we had to bend all the time for branches sticking out. And then.... The boat overturned.... Luckily the water was low and we could stand in the water but it was a real adventure! I loved it, even though I ended up with lots of scratches on my legs and arms and some bugs in my hair. I love it here!

Enjoying our time in Pensacola, Florida!

This week (May 25- 31st) was our second week in Florida. It was a beautiful week and we did so many great things here! Of course we went to the beach a few times, we went out for dinner and we swam a lot! But we also made an amazing boat trip with a rented boat! It was so nice! Luckily it wasn't too warm that day and it was a bit cloudy, because otherwise I am sure everyone would have had a sunburn... I also went out for a run a lot and I went to a tope climbing park with Jana which was great! On Sunday it was our last beach day and we made a great sand castle with grandpa and the girls! I had such a great time here in Pensacola, and I am so glad they all invited me to go on this trip with them! I loved it! I loved everything! Even the wild roosters that woke me up in the morning! It was great! Thanks to my wonderful and lovely host family! 

Really one of the most wonderful moments in the USA!

This week I can happily say that I am already here for 9 months now! I am proud of myself that I made it this far because of everything that is going on in the world about the virus. I didn't see my friends from here in 10 weeks. Not really because I wasn't allowed, but mostly to keep social distance and protect myself and especially my host family. And it was really hard to not see anyone. I got really frustrated and felt sad and lonely a lot, but I made it! Thanks to my family and my friends back home for always supporting me! And thanks to my host family for understanding my different feelings about being here and respecting me! I really don't want to go home yet! I love the girls too much to go already! They always really feel like my little sisters and sometimes even like my own kids. I have had many different 'jobs' in the past months, but I don't regret that I didn't go home when all of this 'shit' started. I would've regret it when I would have gone home. Then I wouldn't have gone to Florida for almost 3 weeks! On Tuesday we drove back and we had a stop in Knoxville, Tennessee. Then on Wednesday we finished the rest of our trip ( 6 hours) to the grandparents' house in Harpers Ferry where we stayed for one night. On Thursday we drove back to Philly. Here are many protests because of what happened to George Floyd. I was a little scared to be back, but it turns out to be ok here now. There also was a tornado warning a few days ago here in Philly. Luckily there wasn't a real tornado, but a lot of things were ruined by the heavy wind... But we'll see if the weather is going to be fine now. On Friday I met with Hendry and Bereket and we just walked outside and talked. On Saturday I met with Linda in University City (West Philly) and we did a picnic and a foto shoot which was really great!

The last pictures of our wonderful trip in Florida!

This week (June 8th- 14th) it was the last 'school week' for the girls! I am soooo proud of them! They nailed it! Despite of the virus, not seeing friends, not be able to go to school, and all the other activities... They did it! And they definitely deserved to have a little party because of that! And so we did on Friday! I made a special lunch for the girls with a waffle in the shape of an owl with ice cream and fruit on top. And I made 'official' diplomas for the girls! They really loved it! I also called with some of my friends from the Netherlands and this was really really great! I really needed them because I was completely lost... I have been stressing so much about what I should do after my Au Pair year. My host family already offered me several times to stay and my plan was to go home and study or work abroad, but because of the virus, that's a little hard now. On Tuesday when I went on a walk with my host dad he told me again that he and my host mom would love me to stay longer. They even offered me several things when I would extend... But I don't know if I can handle not seeing my friends and family much longer... I miss them soooo damn much! And when I see all those pictures of them being together i feel really lonely sometimes, even though I can also hang out with some friends here now. That's why I really liked to call with my friends on Friday. They told me I should just follow my heart and make a list with pros and cons of going home or extending. So I did. Then I called my family and they helped me with my decision, because for them it was already clear. Everything that was going on in my mind still made the decision really really hard... But now, I am very, very excited and happy to say, that I am going to be a US-citizen for 6 more months after my first year (so from today about 9 more months!) I am really excited to go traveling again in a few months!! In the weekend I met with some friends and we had a picnic and we biked to Fishtown which was great!

Fishtown with Linda and Annalena!

This week (June 15th- 21st) it was the first week of 'Summer break'. We went to playgrounds, had a lot of picnics, we baked and we played games and did arts and crafts. The girls were very excited when I told them I am going to extend for 6 months as their Au Pair after my first year is over in the beginning of September! I feel like the girls are happier now it is Summer break, because they don't have stress for school, they can play with friends outside and we can just do everything without caring about what time it is. But because they don't have school, it also means they are spending even more time playing 'together' and the oldest girl doesn't always like this. She likes to be alone sometimes, but the youngest one always wants to play with her. For that reason, they are fighting a little more which is kind of hard for me... But I always try to calm them down and play with both of them. It really helps that one of the parents sometimes do something fun with one of the girls and then I take the other one somewhere. It is good for everyone to be alone sometimes. In the middle of this week I called my grandma to tell here she wouldn't see me until next year in March... Of course she was very sad about that but luckily she said I should follow my heart and that she would always support me, no matter what. I also told my friends and family and I think they all support my choice and they are proud of me that I made this choice. This makes me feel better! I was so scared that most people would think this is a really bad decision. Of course my host family is really happy with the decision because they really wanted me to stay! Also in Philly everything is getting better with Covid-19. Next week Philly is supposed to go to 'green' (now we are still in yellow) which means everything will open up! I really hope this is going to work and I hope I am able to travel soon again! On Friday I had a really nice birthday party from my dear friend Linda (my first party since Covid-19!). Even though we wore masks and we had to be careful, we still had a really great time and we had some great cocktails and pizza! On Sunday the girls left to the beach (New Jersey) with my host dad, his girlfriend and her daughter. I will be off until next Thursday!

The party was great!!

This week (June 22- 28th) I had 4 days of because the girls were in New Jersey at the beach with my hostdad, his girlfriend and her family. I stayed at my hostdad's apartment and this was nice because I could use some time alone. Even though I couldn't do that much and my friends still had to work, I really enjoyed the great weather and chilled on the amazing rooftop a lot! On Wednesday two of my Dutch friends went back home and this was sad for me to realize. They are such amazing girls and even though I didn't see them that much, I know how much fun I always had with them! Later that day I had an amazing picnic with 4 of my friends and we ordered Thai food which was great! The sunset was really pretty where we had our picnic! We were on a public rooftop close to the river. On Thursday the girls came back and we had lunch all together at a restaurant we used to go to a lot before the 'corona time'. Things are finally going to open up slowly! On Friday it was a kind of 'weird' day for me because it would have been my grandfather's 79th birthday... But he passed away 2,5 years ago so it was a weird day for my family and I. On Saturday I went to some shops with Mariame, Alexandra and this was nice! In the evening I met with Hendry, Linda and Laura and some Au Pairs I hadn't met before and it was really great! On Sunday I went to the beach with my hostmom and the kids and after that I had a dinner picnic with some other friends at a nice rooftop which was great!

I had a great weekend!!

This week (June 29th - July 5th) I can happily say that I've been in the USA since 10 Months!! I went to the Poconos with my host mom and the girls from Wednesday till Friday and this was really great. We had a really nice stay in a house with a hot tub! The Poconos is a really nice nature area / river and our stay was close to Tobyhannah lake. Unfortunately there were snakes in this lake so I didn't go swimming there! But luckily there also was a pool! It was really nice to just be out of Philly for a few days again! On Saturday it was 4th of July and this is Independence Day for those who not know what this means. It used to be a great party with lots of fireworks, but because of Covid-19 most of these parties were canceled. Except at circa green, so that's where I went with a couple of friends. We ordered Indian food which was really nice and they played nice music at the rooftop! Later we went to the river and played some games and we watched the fireworks. It was still a nice day! On Sunday I went on a picnic with two other girls and in the evening we met with some friends and we walked along the river which was nice! I called with my parents and with some friends and I discussed the schedule for next week with my host mom because the girls are going to go to summer camp the next coming 2 weeks... I am happy to have some more time for myself but I don't know what I am going to do exactly yet... But I'll definitely cal with more friends!

HAPPY 10 MONTHS!! 8 Months left to go!!

8th Month

This week (April 6- April 12) We were in Harpers Ferry at the house of my hostmom's parents. We went here because we wanted to go out of Philly for a while because everyone was getting crazy. Also my hostdad had been tested negative a few days before we left so we were quite sure we wouldn't have the virus because we see him almost every day. We had a great time there an I really hope we will go back there soon. I went outside a lot with the girls because the nature is wonderful and there are not many people at all! You can go outside without being scared about touching things and risk to be exposed to the virus. We still have to be careful because we were staying at the grandparents' house but it felt more relaxing. I was also able to call with my friends more often because the grandparents spend some time with the girls too. Also we had 'Springbreak', so the girls didn't have any homework or something. We decorated Easter eggs, made some other things for Easter and on Sunday we had a great brunch with the family. Also my one of my hostmom's sisters came over with her husband on Thursday so we spend some days all together which was nice. We finished a 1000 piece puzzle again and this was a really hard one because there were lots of trees in it which looked all the same. I really hope we will go back soon! I really liked it!

Happy Easter everyone!

This week (April 12- April 19th) I didn't really do anything special. I went out for a run a lot and I did some exercising every morning. I was really busy with the girls and we went outside a lot. We did some baking. We did some school work. And I called with some friends which was really nice. Especially in this time I feel lonely sometimes and to be honest, I completely lost my mind now, because I don't know what to do... I just heard some of my best friends here are leaving, and I am really sad about this. Especially because I probably won't even have a chance to say goodbye to them... This makes me really sad... One good thing is that calling with my friends makes me feel better. So I call a lot during weekends. This weekend I called with my friends here and I also called with some of my friends in the Netherlands which was really really nice! I miss them so much! Especially now! But they really help me by texting and calling me sometimes! It gives me a little boost to go on here! And to be honest, I don't really want to go home yet, because then I still can't see my friends and family, I can't really work, I can't go anywhere, so it doesn't really make any sense for me to go home. But of course, sometimes I think about it because so many people are leaving now... But I'll see for how long I can handle it here with the girls. I really hope to stay here until the end of my Au Pair year and then travel in September. I also really hope the trip with my hostdad and the girls to The Netherlands still can go on... Let's pray for it!

This week (April 20th - 26th) was a little harder with the girls. They both couldn't really listen and the weather was quite bad and it rained a lot. Still I tried to make something of every day and we did some fun things. We started making our own dollhouse of a big cardboard box. I cut out the windows and made the roof etc. so the girls could already start playing with it for a bit. We are now working on the outside of the house and after that we can start working on everything on the inside of it. It is definitely gonna be a big project, but I like the idea! I also made a lot of fancy fruit plates for the girls because they seem to eat more fruit if it looks better! I called with some friends this week and I had to say goodbye to my best friend in the USA which was pretty hard! I am so sad Lara is leaving next week, but I can totally understand her! It was so weird sitting 6 feet apart from each other and talking with a mask on, but I really wanted to go to her to say goodbye. We had such a wonderful time together and we made the most beautiful memories together. So I am really gonna miss her a lot! On Friday we celebrated my host dad's birthday and we had a pizza kit from a really good pizza restaurant so we could make our pizza's and we had some other things which were really good. I made brownies with Jana and we made a caramel sauce for on top of the brownie and a white chocolate- oreo dip sauce which was really good! So for dessert we had a warm brownie with ice cream and the caramel and oreo topping! Yummy! On Saturday we went to Harpers Ferry again where we will stay for a week or probably even longer> I am happy to be back and the grandparents are very nice:)

Happy kids are the best!

This week (Aril 27th - May 3rd) was a very busy and also a tough week. Everything became a little too much halfway through this week. The girls are very sweet and I love them so much, but they are very hard to deal with sometimes. I know it's also very hard for them to do schoolwork at home and not seeing any friends, but still. It is hard to work 10 hours on a day if the kids are crying and screaming a lot. Of course they don't do that the whole day, but sometimes it all becomes too much for me and then I can't handle it anymore. So this is what happened on Thursday. I called my mom and this helped me a bit and then I went downstairs again and I still enjoyed the rest of my day. I also talked with my host parents about how I felt today and they really appreciated it that I told them. I am so happy they understand my feelings! This makes it much easier for me to talk more about these things that bother me in this pandemic. On Friday my dear friend Lara went back to Germany. I am happy for her that she is home with her own family, but I am really gonna miss her! We did so many great things together! During the weekend I called with a lot of friends in the Netherlands! I even think I called with too many people... Woops! But it was great and it made me feel so much better! We also had a really nice picnic and I finally found a place where I can get ice cream nearby! So happy! Yeehoo! We also had a lot of funny moments together as you can see in the pictures below and we went on some hikes which is great here in Harpers ferry! I am happy that we are going to stay another week!

Having a great time in Harpers Ferry!

Week (MAY 4- 10). Happy 8 Months USA! Woohooo! 4 months left to go! I am proud that I made it so far, especially in this hard time because of the virus. It was nice to still be in Harpers Ferry this week and we went on some picnics again and I went out for some runs. I called with some friends and family, helped cleaning the house a bit and I cooked together with my host mom for everyone every night. The girls were ok this week but of course there were ups and downs. But we had a lot of fun outside and we started making our 3rd puzzle. On Thursday we went back to Philly and the girls stayed at my host dad. On Friday they still came over to work on school and after that they went to him again. I made dinner on Friday and Saturday and I also called with some friends which was nice. I went out for a run on Saturday morning and I did the Run 5 Donate 5 & Nominate 5 challenge. I ran 5 km in 18:15 mins so I am really proud of myself! I donated $5 to the charity for the coronavirus and I nominated 5 friends. On Sunday it was Mother's Day and I made breakfast for my host mom and I gave her a card and her favorite cookies (snickerdoodles). Later when the girls came over, we had a high tea with tea sandwiches, brownies, scones, fruit and tea of course which was really nice! At the end of the day we did a 'girls night' with a face mask and we watched a tv show together.

Happy Mother's Day!

7th month

(March 9th-15th). What a hell everywhere! The Coronavirus. It is our biggest enemy now I guess. PEople are getting more and more crazy. Schools are closing, people can't go to work anymore, events are canceled, and even the grocery stores are empty sometimes! WHY?! I know it is getting a big deal now, but still. People are crazy! Hand sanitizer is sold out everywhere.. Just wash your hands ok?! AND THEN TRUMP.... OMG!!! 30 days travel ban for Europeans?! WTF! So many of my friends have parents that planned to come visit them in 2 weeks. My parents are coming at the end of Aril so I really hope they are lucky and can still come to the US. I am so mad! Of course there are many cases in Europe, but why would you do this? The virus is already everywhere I guess.
But anyways... I also did some fun things this week. I called with a boy from The Netherlands this week and this was very nice. I planned some things for my birthday and for my party next week. On Saturday I first went out for a run for about 2 hours and then I met with my friend Marielle and we went to Walmart to buy things for my birthday party and we walked around for a while and bought a smoothie. On Sunday I called my parents and my sister and then I met some friends and we had a picnic together at the river park which was great!

This week (March 16th - 22nd) was the first week without school for the girls. This means I would have to be their personal 'teacher' now. I first didn't now how to do this, but as I do like teaching kids new things, I was also very excited for this. This would be a real challenge for me and I liked this. Especially because I got my TEFL-certificate (which allows me to teach English abroad) teaching the girls would give me the opportunity to figure out if I really like teaching. On Thursday was my birthday... I was sad that I couldn't do anything with my friends because of the Coronavirus, but I still had a nice day! I had a great pancake breakfast, my hostmom decorated the living room and the girls made such a nice art project for me! I also got a huge box from The Netherlands with presents from my friends and family which I loved so much! All these lovely people! I miss them so much! Especially on days like this... I called with my parents, family and friends and this made me feel happier. I still was a little sad because we didn't do anything special because my hostparents both had to work, but when I came home we ate all together (with the whole family) and we had Chinese food which was so good! I also decorated the cookie dough cheese cake I made with the girls and this was soooo yummy! The first time I made a cheesecake and it was soo good! On Friday I went out for a run in the morning which was very bad at the beginning because I had stabbing pain in my side... But after 30 minutes it was gone and I ran very far! 18 km in 1 hour and 40 minutes! Pretty proud of myself! Lara came over real quick to drop off a present from her, Linda and Gian-Luca. I was very sad when I heard Gian-Luca was already on his way to Germany because he didn't want to be in quarantine because of the virus any longer here... We planned to go to Cancun together in May so this is really sad! I am gonna miss him so much!!! :( I also heard Karolina is leaving next Monday... She is already in her second year and she can still go back to Poland because she is a citizen but I am very sad she is leaving!!

I had a very nice birthday, despite of the pandemic!

This week (March 23rd - March 29th) was the second week without school. It was an exhausting and long week, but I still tried to stay positive and I went outside for run and this really helped. I also called with some friends in The Netherlands and this also helped a lot. It makes me feel better when I see them more often. I am very sad that I had to cancel my trip of next week to Puerto Rico and Miami and I really hope that I don't have to cancel my trip to Mexico! And I really, really hope my parents can come at the end of April. The 26th of March it was my hostmom's 40th birthday. I made salted caramel brownies with shortbread bottom and stroopwafel cake. For breakfast I made mini croissants, cinnamon rolls and French toasts and she really loved this! Unfortunately my present for her wasn't delivered yet so I really hope it will be delivered soon! We had a nice party despite of everything being closed because of the virus.

Happy 40th Birthday to my hostmom!

This week (March 30th - April 5th) was a very busy week. The girls still can't go to school so I am their teacher now. And of course they think they can do whatever they want now so it is very hard to deal with sometimes. We went outside a lot and the girls rode their scooters and I ran behind them. We did some arts and crafts for Easter and we played games. On Wednesday I heard something terrible... Trump decided to extend the 30 day European travelban… This means my parents can't come anymore and also if they were able to come, everything would still have been closed. I was so sad! My  mom was crying when my family called me... We had al so much been looking forward to see each other again at the end of April... We planned the whole trip to New York, Boston, Niagara Falls and Toronto and now it's all gone! I am so sad! On Friday it was my sister's 17th birthday. When I called her she started crying... I was so sad to see her like this... We miss each other so much! She is my best friend, so I can't see her like this... Luckily she still had a nice birthday! She really deserved it! I baked cupcakes with the girls for Elin's birthday party. We celebrated her birthday on Friday, even though her real birthday is next Monday. We did this because we departed to Harpers Ferry (the grandparents) this Saturday and then we wouldn't be able to celebrate it with my hostdad. So we made cupcakes and I had the idea to make a pie of it and we added unicorn decoration. Also we couldn't miss Elin's favorite dinner she has every week but especially now: Spaghetti! It is always so funny to see how she eats this... She is such a mess!!! But it was a nice little party. On Saturday we went to Harpers Ferry with a car full of stuff! It is very nice to be out of Philly for a while, because you can't really go anywhere and most shops are closed. Harpers Ferry is a very pleased area and it is way less crowded. And the nature is wonderful! I love to go out for a run or hike here and the grandparents are so lovely! Very Happy to be here! I hope we'll stay here longer than a week because I love it!

Elin's wonderful 6th birthday!