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!!
